Fly Me To The Moon
by Jo The Mage of Breath
Summary: An alien girl finds herself banished from her home in the Underground. A robot celebrity can't help but feel that something is out of place. One has no knowledge of the world outside her home, while the other finds glamour in it. Both share a desire to be loved and to reach the stars. One day, the two cross paths in a rather unexpected manner. (Mettaton x OC/ Undyne x Alphys)
1. Chapter 1- A Sinking Feeling

**Chapter One: A Sinking Feeling**

There was once a time where the humans and monsters once lived together peacefully. But one day, the two groups went to war with each other. The humans, with their strong souls and determination, were able to win the war and banish the monsters to the Underground. But there also another species that went down that have been forgotten with the passage of time.

An alien species from the planet Norgav had sent over a well organized brigade to investigate possible planets for future use of their resources. After a long journey, they found a new and untapped solar system. Although there were different planets in place to explore, with even some Norgavians staying on some, they came across a rather peculiar planet they dubbed Pămaa, otherwise known as Earth. What they didn't know was that this planet was already inhabited by many creatures, both big and small. The Norgavians were now faced with a crisis: what should be done with them? It wouldn't take long before the humans and monsters alike discovered evidence of the extraterrestrial in their midst, which would only further impede on their mission. As a result, the Norgavians were forced into solitude. There were now two options that the Norgavians could take. They could either relocate the civilians of Pămaa to a different planet, or enact a full genocide and use whoever was still remaining for experimental purposes.

The Norgavians would not be able to find a solution during their time on Pămaa's surface. Unbeknownst to them, there was growing tension between the humans and the monsters. The humans, under the assumption that they were working with the monsters, they lashed out at the Norgavians. Before they could understand why the events unfolding before them were happening, the Norgavians became witnesses to the war. Half of the aliens that first came to Pămaa retreated to Norgav, while the other half stayed to fight with the monsters. However, these select few only had their own interests in mind through the whole fight, believing that they could still find a way to make this planet theirs.

When the humans came out victorious, the monsters were sent to the Underground. What the Norgavians didn't account for was being taken down with them. Since they sided with the monsters in the battle, they were thought of as the enemy by the humans. Once they found themselves in the deepest part of the Underground, the Norgavian settlers knew that they had to find a way out and make another attempt at conquering Pămaa. The Norgavians stuck by the idea that the loss of the war was proof that the monsters were weak and insignificant, and thus refused to do business with them. From there on out, the Norgavians would rely on their own kin for resources and maintaining strong genetics to pass on to future generations. They swore they would find a way to reach the surface on their own and restore the settler's honor, and the honor of the entire Norgavian race.

~~~

Behind a roaring waterfall within the cavernous part of the Underground lies two solid steel doors, one at the end of the waterfall's cave and another immediately afterward. This was a security measure the Norgavians took when they first came below the surface. Behind these two sets of doors lies a town of chrome, with a palatial clock tower in the center of the marketplace. One more minute until the lights would come on and the morning bell would ring softly. On the uppermost levels of the town were small living spaces that fit three Norgavians per room. On the third level in Room 304, two were already awake and preparing breakfast.

Besides the window that overlooked the town lay three rectangular sleeping devices in a solitary corner that had a piece of the wall as a barrier. Each device was on the room's floor, all but one still activated. There was a third Norgavian still sleeping in the third chamber on the right. Inside the chamber, a young female appeared to be in a comatose state brought on by the chamber itself. The clock now read 06:00 on its monitor, and a beeping sound was heard coming from the inside. The lights inside dimmed as the hatch was lifted up to provide an exit. It was at this point the female was fully awake.

On this day, the young woman felt as though something was out of place. Like she was supposed to be anticipating something, but didn't know what this event could be. She walked out to greet her parents, who had just placed down breakfast on an oval table. The slender and tall Ylla was the first to notice their daughter's awakening. The stout and burly Chulir, meanwhile, was occupying himself with preparing for work. The Norgavian male had the hair of a lion's mane, and the boisterous voice of one too.

"Good morning, Devia." Ylla said lightly.

"Good morning, Kamda. Good morning, Damka." The purple alien sat down at the table, addressing her parents politely. The food was placed in a diamond like formation, where almost every plate had something wriggling and squirming on it. Devia didn't agree with how the food would always be prepared, but it was either that or starve to death. Devia would always choose the former despite her wishes. Chulir sat down on the other side of the table while Ylla came over on the left side.

"Thank you for the food." Chulir and Devia thanked Ylla and began to take their share of food. Chulir's plate was always filled up, while Devia's portions always remained rather reasonable, though small by Norgavian standards. The trio remained silent throughout most of breakfast, only speaking to ask Ylla to pass something to the other. There was an air of inevitability floating about that neither one could really describe, but they knew that it needed to be done. Devia knew this too, but tried to calm her nerves before the event could begin.

"Härec is going to be here in an hour." Chulir finally spoke. "Do you have anything prepared for the day?"

Devia finished getting in another bite. She felt her stomach get heavier at the sound of his name. At that moment, she was reminded of the event she became so worried about: the Eskavit. "Yes, Damka. We were planning to commence with the Duel."

"It's assuring to know that he is one of traditional taste." Ylla said, pouring a greenish-brown slime substance into a cup. "Who knows what would happen if he were one of those _Neos_..."

"Nothing to be afraid of, Ylla." Chulir reassured her. "He would have faced our ruler if that were true."

In actuality, the prospect of Härec being a Neo would sit better with her than him being a traditionalist. At least it would be something new. There was only so much that could be done and allowed in the Hub without it becoming a bore. Then again, Neos have never stood much of a chance ever since the group's development.

Chulir looked at the clock and quickly gulped down the rest of his food. He put on a white cloak and was on his way out before facing his daughter. "You be good for Härec, Devia. If the duel goes well, then it's a sign that your Eskavit will be a success for all of us. Do you promise?"

"I promise." Devia nodded. Chulir nodded right back and rushed out into the hall towards the elevator.

Devia didn't have much time to prepare for the first day of the Eskavit, so she entered the shower and quickly did her hair. She left her front bangs exposed and dangling over her shoulders, while the rest of her mauve hair was put tightly in a bun. She knew her mother would begin to put more pressure on her as the seconds passed, so she ignored her speech about always being conscientious as she selected one of the many cool and neutral colored outfits she had in her closet. She skimmed by the asymmetrical black and gray dress that would be used for the second day, which made her want to vomit. Not the dress itself, but the fact that it was related to the Eskavit's second day. She couldn't even begin to imagine the feeling of what she'd have to do on the third day.

"Will you please just settle on one?" Ylla noticed her daughter going through her wardrobe. "If it doesn't draw much attention, it's adequate."

Devia finally settled for a blue form fitting suit. Everything from the neck down with the exception of her hands were covered in a light material that had a slight glow to it in the right kind of light. She loved her mother dearly, but in this moment she wished she didn't speak. Devia fiddled with the corset-like attachment that was around her waist and made sure her boots fit just right. A little too snug for her liking, but they would have to do for now. One last look in the mirror was all that was needed to be done.

While Devia was in the process of doing and re-doing her hair, Ylla walked up behind her with her hands on Devia's shoulders. Ylla was at least two heads taller than her daughter, not counting the instances where she wore heeled shoes. "I'm glad you got chosen to be with Härec. From the information we were given about him, I'm sure he'll make a wonderful husband."

Devia smiled at the reflection. "Do you really think so?"

"Why, of course I do. Mother knows best, after all." Ylla patted her head and resumed cleaning.

Unbeknownst to Ylla, Devia's smile slowly started to fade away the longer she looked at herself in the mirror. Was this what it truly meant to be a Norgavian? Having everything be chosen for you? For some aspects, it sounded nice. On the one hand, you wouldn't feel so indecisive about choosing a new pair of shoes. But on the other hand, it removes any sort of independent thought. Devia was teetering between both these lines in her mind. She wanted to make her parents happy, but a sinking feeling was slowly taking over.

Devia tried to shake it off and focus on the day's main event. Taking a seat in front of the window, she observed the bustle within the town below. Pairs of twos and groups of threes did their shopping peacefully around the marketplace and the children were being escorted to school by their teacher. _Times were simpler in childhood,_ Devia thought. One doesn't have to worry so much in that phase of life. At least they were able to live out whatever freedom they were given in such a short time. Granted, much of that time was in school, but compared to adolescent and adult lives in the Hub, it was in a sense much more carefree. If only it was like that throughout all stages.

It was from her height where she saw her friend Zadra, following through with her first day activity with her suitor. Zadra's suitor was stout, like Chulir, except his hair was perfectly straight and completely held back. Like most Norgavian females, she wore her hair with her bangs and fihema exposed, while the rest of her hair was tucked away neatly. What was odd about her hair was that no matter how hard she tried, her dark blue hair wasn't able to grow. This apparently didn't seem to upset her suitor too much. She looked so happy to be with him, and the same could be said for him. Devia wondered what their bonding process was like so far. Judging from the looks on their faces, they were most likely happy with each other around. Devia wanted her Eskavit to go as well as hers, as well as have a pleasant connection with her chosen husband. Although, she would admit, that it would be nicer to be able to choose who she would be with. However, the law of the Hub trumps all opinions and feelings.

Devia's mind continued to wander off until her attention was brought back to the clock. Thirty minutes left. She sighed as she lifted herself up from the chair. She began to feel more nervous than before, so she poured herself a cup of gnrog to ease her stomach. The pungent first sip was something no one could ever truly get through, but the aftertaste and the next few sips were worth the torture.

"Devia, aren't you forgetting something?" Ylla inquired, not stopping to turn her attention to her daughter. Oh, she had almost forgot! Devia quickly rushed to the counter, where a small box of iron lay delicately on its surface. It is customary to give your partner a gift before the first day, but because of Härec's more tradtitional side, Devia's parents took it upon themselves to buy the gift. Whether that be because they wanted to live through their child or otherwise, this was not part of Devia's plan. She picked up the box and put her hand on the door.

"I'm leaving for the Trafa, Kamda." Devia spoke, but with not much enthusiasm.

"I can tell that you are uneasy." Ylla brought her attention to Devia, putting both hands on each of her shoulders. "I was just like that when I was your age. I didn't know what your father was going to be like. But you and I both know what needs to be done. This isn't just about yourself. This is about the future of our whole race. Do you understand?"

Devia remained silent and bit her lower lip.

"Do you understand?" Ylla asked, this time a little more sternly and with one hand lightly pressed on her chin.

"Yes, Kamda." Devia nodded.

"Good." Ylla smiled. "Now go make us proud, Devia."

Devia smiled back, and the door came down between them once she stepped out into the hall. She didn't know if that was supposed to be encouraging or a threat. Either way, it didn't really make her feel any better. Her throat began to feel stiff and her hands were shaking. She took a gulp and forced herself to walk towards the elevator. In the letter Devia had received the night before, Härec said that he would meet her at the Housing Entrance at 07:00 sharp. From there, they would walk together to the Trafa to begin their duel. In the back of her mind, she prayed that she could stumble across Zadra on the way there. No matter the situation, she provided a kind of support that her parents sometimes weren't able to give themselves.

She entered the elevator and pressed the center button. Elevator rides were so short, one couldn't be able to get a full sentence in by the time it was over. Devia walked out into the town, temporarily blinded by the bright lights. Once her eyes adjusted, she could finally search for Härec. But where would he be? It could be seven at any second, and yet she was given no description on what he looked like. This only tensed up her nerves more, as even Devia's feet were beginning to tremble.

"Excuse me, but are you Devia?" Someone behind her asked. Devia turned her head to see a Norgavian male. He had a muscular build, skin the color of sand, and bushy dark brown hair that was nearly in his eyes. His voice sounded sincere, yet strong. A strange fusion of a warrior and a shepherd.

"Y-yes I am, sir. And I take it that you are Härec?" Devia responded gingerly.

"Indeed, I am." Härec smiled. He took out a box similar to the one Devia had and extended it to her. "For you."

Devia did the same with Härec's gift. The two received their gifts from each other and began to open them. In Devia's box, she found a simple silver bracelet. Devia put on the accessory and lifted her hand to see how it looked in the light, and it was there that she could see a few small gold shards glisten. When she saw what Härec's gift was, the look on his face was enough to formulate a conclusion. His gift was a small dagger with ancient wording engraved into both sides of the blade. Härec smiled greatly at this offering.

"Thank you very much, Miss Devia." Härec put the dagger back in the box. "You would definitely be a good wife to have."

Strangely enough, this made Devia blush. She put the bracelet back into the box, following suit with him. "And I'm sure you would be a good husband, too."

Härec smiled lightly. "We'll truly see how we would fare in married life when we have our duel."

Remembering how she saw Zadra and her partner, Devia assumed that they must have had a good duel if they had any. Maybe the same could be said with her and Härec. Devia bowed politely. "May the best Norgavian win."

Härec smirked devilishly as he lead the way to the Trafa with Devia in tow. The two, naemly Härec, remained silent throughout the trip. At least now, Devia was a little more relaxed. Now there was the matter of how quiet her partner was being. She decided to break the ice with a few questions and make the most of this situation. "Are your parents traditionalists as well?"

"Yes." Härec nodded, his eyes staying forward.

Devia tried to think of another question. "What is your preferred style of clothing?"

"Anything that belongs on a man." Härec replied bluntly.

"Of course..." Devia pondered once more as the awkward tension only seemed to grow. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No. Just myself."

Devia bit her lip once again. "I see. Do you... often like to do any fighting in your free time?"

"Yes, Miss Devia." Härec turned his head enough so that he met her gaze. "I often duel with my father and grandfather the most."

"I'm not much of a fighter myself, if I were to be honest." Devia replied sheepishly.

"Oh?" This time, he grew curious. "But I assumed you were a traditionalist like myself."

Devia's face flushed with embarrassment. She knew she had to make up a lie for this. "Well.. I... I knew that you were a traditionalist, and I knew that traditionalists were very fond of weaponry, so that's how I got the idea of the dagger."

Härec grinned. "Well, at least I now know it will be an easy fight."

Devia sighed internally, thankfully that the fib was able to work on him. She now had an idea of what his secondary ability was. If it weren't telekinesis, Härec would have been able to see the lie. Mind reading was a rare ability for most Norgavians to have, but it was both frightening and fascinating. Half the population had telekinetic abilities, while a much smaller percentage could read minds. Those in the middle had neither ability, and this included Devia and her family.

"But I promise to be a worthy adversary, Sir Härec." That part was the truth.

"You had better be. Or otherwise, it could mean trouble for the both of us." Härec said in a flat, yet serious tone.

Devia gulped lightly, gaining back her nervousness from before. She kept praying for some kind of distraction to delay the duel. Was Zadra still around? Sadly, no. Devia started swallowing whatever dignity she may have had previously and chose to face her inevitable defeat at the Trafa. Telekenisis or not, Devia had a strong feeling that she would be defeated. A sinking feeling lingered over her again, until a sight peculiar to her came into her line of vision.

As the two were almost there, Devia glanced over at the steel doors in the far distance. There were two larger than life guards right in front of them, armed to the teeth and ready to fight whenever necessary. Both were donned in heavy armor and their teeth were jagged and sharp, which only added to the frightening visuals. This was to ensure security in case the next set of doors didn't hold up. Another question rose in Devia's head as she continued looking at those pristine doors. Sadly though, it was a question that she couldn't get an answer to lest she be seen as suspicious.

Was there anything beyond the Hub?


	2. Chapter 2- Approved

**Chapter Two: Approved**

Upbeat music played through the speakers in the back of the studio to the front of the set. The lights from above and the cameras were focused on a gray robot with a microphone in its right hand and a single wheel beneath its body. The grid, which made up the center of its body, glowed as it did all sorts of different gestures. The set design was a simple kitchen, and there appeared to be some sort of freshly made pie sitting on the counter. As is par for the course in Hotland, the location of shooting for this week's episode was rather humid, but it didn't appear to make much of a difference for the television host. His interior cooling system took care of whatever exposure to those elements for him.

After the show's main event, if enough time was granted to him, Mettaton would answer some fan mail from his fans. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but one particular letter couldn't be put up on television. After all, this was a family friendly show.

"And that's all the time we have left, folks! You've all been a wonderful audience! Tune in next time for more of the Underground's favorite TV personality! Only on MTT Network!"

And cut. The cameras were now offline and were ready to be shut off. The robot kept the pose he had for a few seconds before relaxing his body. Another day of being a star had just come to another fabulous end. Though he did love the attention that came from being a star, that didn't mean that he would get tired out from being on live television once in a while. This was one of those days for the widely known Mettaton, but what exactly was so tiring about it was still a mystery to him. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something about his shows was missing something. He knew what he truly wanted: to be adored by millions and become a star on the surface. But something else was puzzling him. Surely, there must be something greater than what he's been doing. Mettaton had a desire for something that he couldn't even comprehend, which made finding it out even more mind numbing.

Just as he was about to retire for the day, his personal cell began ringing. Mettaton swiftly picked up the phone, gaining back his eager demeanor for whoever was on the other line.

"Hello~? Mettaton speaking."

"H-hey, M-Mettaton." The voice of Dr. Alphys responded. Mettaon could relax now. "I have some great news!"

"Well?" Mettaton waited. "What is it?"

"Well, y-you know how K-King Asgore w-wanted a.. uh..." Alphys stuttered. "

"Yes? Go on." Mettaton replied expectantly.

"Well, uh... I just received word that... Oh, I'm too excited to speak!"

"Oh, just spit it out already, Alphys! The suspense is killing me!" Mettaton exclaimed impatiently.

"Okay, okay! I-I'll just tell you when you get back to the Lab." Alphys hung up before Mettaton could get another word in. He was used to the mannerisms she possessed, but Alphys sounded quite happy in the brief call they shared. He wanted to get back to the Lab to see what the call was about. As for the lone pie on the counter, he figured he'd just leave Burgerpants or another one of his employees with it. Mettaton wasn't built for such functions as eating anyway, so it really wouldn't make much of a difference as to what would be done with it. His main concern was getting the good news.

That is, if he could get there quickly enough. He would usually have fans come up to him and ask for an autograph or a picture, which he didn't mind in the least. After all, he is one to please a crowd even if they were in the high single digits, or high tens if it was a good day. But in some situations, he's been able to come up with a few ways to get away from his own personal paparazzi, such as clever disguises or getting Burgerpants to dress up as him. Now that he thought about it, he did tend to abuse Burgerpants often. However, these thoughts would quickly shift to another topic or whatever was relevant at the moment. To be fair though, Burgerpants wasn't the greatest employee. He wasn't even the greatest of people to him, either. There was always an air of tension between the two, with neither side wanting to compromise.

Still, that didn't stop Mettaton from getting Burgerpants to do his bidding. After all, how else was the poor chap going to get his paycheck?

~~~

Mettaton was welcomed by the pale green interior and monitor on the wall, though Alphys' 'work' desk was always a distraction to him. He would use the word 'work' rather loosely, as that spot was typically used for watching anime and eating ramen. Mettaton could never understand why Alphys wasted so much time on such pathetic cartoons, but if it made her happy then he didn't really have much room to complain. Would he had preferred her to be around others? Absolutely. But for some reason, she's been rather distant towards the outside world and even he didn't know what was going on. On other days, she seemed fine, but when the topic of going out would come up, she would always find some sort of excuse to avoid leaving the lab.

Speaking of which, Alphys had just come up from the elevator, muttering to herself about something indescribable. She carried a stack of papers in her hands as she continued walking before she noticed the robot before her. "Oh, there you are! I didn't realize you would get here so quickly, what with your fans and all."

"I have my ways of getting around them. Now, what was it that you wanted to tell me?" Mettaton leaned forward against the desk.

"As I was trying to say before," Alphys cleaned her glasses with her coat. "Y-you know how King Asgore wanted a security robot to fight any humans that may come down here?"

Mettaton nodded. "I remember quite clearly, Alphys. But if there's still nothing for me on that bargain, you can count me out."

Alphys took out two individual forms from the stack, both signed by King Asgore. "Well, he approved of the designs I gave him for the NEO form and the EX form. It took me a while to convince the king to let me go through with EX, but-"

Mettaton gasped as he looked through the papers. "Dr. Alphys! Do you know what this means?"

Alphys stared at the robot blankly. "Of course I do. I-it means that I can finally get working on the new system and-"

"And I'll finally get to have my new body!" Mettaton interrupted. "Oh, Alphys! I wouldn't know what I'd do without you!"

"Th-thank you, Mettaton." Alphys blushed from the praise. "But it's gonna take some time for both forms to be ready. Which means you're gonna have to stay here while I get everything done. The NEO form's design's going to take longer than the EX form, but some of the components for the NEO form have already been stored in your interface just in case..."

Most of what Alphys said afterwards flew right over Mettaton's head. "But I still get to have a body! A body that I helped design, so I know it will be absolutely beautiful! I can finally achieve my dream!"

"But I thought being a star was your dream...?"

"Obviously, that too. Imagine if I had both, though." Mettaton's head once again got stuck in the clouds and hands up above the top of his body. "Millions of adoring fans up there just waiting to see what I've got!"

"I'm glad you're psyched and all, but there may be a small drawback..." Alphys put a hand behind her head.

"And what would that be?" Mettaton started to come down from his high when he heard this.

"Well, uh... you may have to spend a few days at a time in here. So I can see what works and what doesn't, make sure nothing's out of place and such."

"But Alphys, what about my show?" Mettaton pressed both his hands together. "I've got fans that need to be entertained!"

"D-don't worry, Mettaton!" Alphys exclaimed, trying her hardest not to upset him. "By the time you're back on the air, the production of your EX form should be at least halfway finished! Well... If I work fast enough, that is."

"And what about the body I have now?" Mettaton pressed on. "Oh, please don't tell me I'm gonna be stuck as some half calculator, half cyborg mess! I can't afford to have my image be ruined! My fans will be so disappointed!"

"Please don't get too upset!" Alphys put her hand on the back of Mettaton. The only indicator of what he was feeling was through his tone of voice. "L-look, I'll make sure nothing happens to your basic form while I'm working on you, okay?"

"You will?" Mettaton asked hopefully. "Because if you don't, I have a certain little instrument that hasn't been used in a while. It would be a shame if you happened to.. oh, I don't know, run into it."

"Mettaton!" Alphys grew irritated at the sudden threat. "You can't just threaten me with a chainsaw!"

"It's not a threat if it means my career may be on the line." Mettaton replied smugly.

"This isn't just about you, y'know!" Alphys became more annoyed. Before walking away, she came back with one last comment. "This is also about the safety of the monsters here! Sometimes I don't know how to deal with you..."

That was the end of that conversation. Alphys went back to work, and Mettaton was coming up with new material for his next show. The two avoided each other since that heated moment, presumably to calm down both parties before it would escalate even further. Mettaton thought that he could just ignore what happened and focus on his show. But the silence inside the building became maddening to him, and he started feeling... guilty? No, one half of him felt as though he was in the right. But on the other hand, he did feel like the addition of the chainsaw was taking it a little too far. Finally caving into his conscious, he took the elevator down to where Alphys was working. She didn't seem to notice him come in, as she was too busy with making the individual parts for the

He was surprised that Alphys was continuing to go through with this. He almost expected her to have thrown them away by now in a fit of anger. Mettaton cautiously tapped at her shoulder. "So... you're still making my body?"

A sigh escaped Alphys' lips. She shook her head and readjusted her glasses. "Well, it is what you and Asgore want. You want your new body and Asgore wants his anti human security device. But please, don't bring up the chainsaw again."

Mettaton made a crossing gesture where his heart would be. "Cross my heart, Dr. Alphys. And I apologize for taking that one bit too far. I was definitely out of line back there. You know how I can get sometimes."

"You can get rather into your emotions, I know." Alphys turned to face Mettaton. How she had this much patience for Mettaton was something even she couldn't figure out. "But even if you can be a pain sometimes, I'm still gonna stick with you."

"And why is that?"

"Because... because..." Alphys stuttered. "Because I think of you as a friend."

"Oh, Alphys..." Mettaton was touched by the statement. If he had a face, it would spell out enchantment and happiness. He placed both hands on his grid. "I'm so flattered! Thank you for putting up with my antics so much!"

With that said, Mettaton caught Alphys in an embrace. Alphys was caught off guard by this sudden contact until she realized what he was trying to do. The moment started off tender, but then started to get awkward when Alphy's face was starting to get smothered against Mettaton's front side. "Uh.. Mettaton? Could you, um..."

"Oh! Sorry." Mettaton immediately released his grasp on her. Another moment of awkward silence lay between the two like a thin barrier.

"So..." Alphys tried to break the ice before clearing her throat. "I'll just be getting back to work."

"Oh, yes. Indeed. It'll only be a matter of time before people begin to get bored with this box form. Ta ta~" Mettaton waved back at Alphys before heading towards the elevator.

"Mettaton, wait!" Alphys called back, a lingering thought remaining with her long after what had been said and done, and even beforehand.

"Hm? What is it, darling?" Mettaton asked, waiting for Alphys to answer.

"Umm..." Alphys stuttered. "Oh, nevermind. It's not that important, anyway."

"Okay, if you say so Doctor." Mettaton shrugged and slid inside the elevator, taking him back up to the first level.

Alphys let out a heavy sigh and slowly went back to work. Even after Mettaton was long gone, Alphys regretted not asking him about their current friendship status. Since he became a star in the Underground, it was as if the only time Mettaton ever really needed her was either with repairs or with something relating to his show. Did Mettaton truly feel the same about being her friend? Or was she nothing more than just a scientist to him? Alphys couldn't bear to think about what would happen if he found out what she had done, and what she is still doing. Just the mere thought of the past was beginning to distract her from working on the EX form.

She looked down at the notes that she and Mettaton jotted down for both the NEO and EX forms. Alphys left the design aspect up to Mettaton for rather obvious reasons, while she would take care of the technical aspects. Granted, some of these design choices that he had were questionable, but these are his bodies after all. It's not like she would be using them any time soon. Those notes helped make Alphys feel a little better, what with the inside jokes that came from the notes the two came up with.

She knew well that she had to get a few materials for both bodies, which Asgore was more than happy to give the funds to. But still, she wanted to try the dump to see if there was anything worth salvaging. Alphys knew that there had to be something out there worth saving. She just hoped that Mettaton wouldn't mind too much.


	3. Chapter 3- Denounced

**Chapter Three: Denounced**

The Trafa was bustling with duels and training sessions of all kinds. Military, recreational, and everything in between were common reasons why Norgavians came to this spot. The laminated wood floors barely made a sound under Devia and Härec's feet when they came in, and even if it did it wouldn't matter to the rest of the Norgavians inside. Regular visitors had reserved training spots for them in the far back of the building to do what they pleased. First time goers or those that didn't attend the Trafa as often were made to do their training in the front close by the entrance. The amount of people that showed up was oddly low, since Devia expected it to be much more due to the popularity of the place. Each room had clear walls for others to observe the everyday action. There was a function that allowed for more privacy, but for the most part Norgavians never really bothered to toy around with it.

The couple walked towards a desk where another Norgav checked them off on a list for reservations. The receptionist gave Härec a card with an ID number on the front. They were told that their sparring session would take place in Room 4A.

"Shall we?" Harec bowed as he directed his arm towards their room.

"Why, of course." Devia smiled and tried to remain confident. On the inside, she was begging for some kind of way out. As long as she could last at least five minutes, she was in the clear. Devia's mind started to wander as she started to observe some of the matches and how skilled the other Norgavians were. The times where Devia was brought to the Trafa only ended in disaster. She would either be on her knees crying or too tired to speak. Devia wanted some glimmer of hope to be there, a sign that something will be different.

Härec unlocked Room 4A and let Devia enter first. She walked in cautiously, knowing that there was a good chance that she would be watched. The most that she could do now was prepare. She watched Härec set the timer on the other side of the room. Devia figured now was the time to let her hair down. She played with the band on the back of her head before her long hair cascaded down to her waist. Härec did the same, his hair reaching his tailbone. It was commonplace for Norgavians to use their hair in battle. How or why this is the case is something they have not yet questioned.

"Are you ready, Miss Devia?"

"Y-Yes, Sir Härec."

With those words spoken, the match began. Härec wasted no time in lunging towards Devia at full force. Devia was just barely able to tumble away from his strike and get on her knees. She jerked her head to the left and focused her hair on his feet, hoping to trip him and catch him off guard. This action proved to be too predictable for her opponent, however. Härec saw what she was trying to do and a section of his hair swiftly smacked her in the ribs. This caused Devia to yelp like a dog, which forced her to come up with another plan. For now, she figured she would just dodge Härec's moves, occasionally aiming for his knees and feet. This only made him want to try harder.

Devia tumbled to the ground once more when Härec managed to land a hit to her knees. She did a somersault out of the way of his next attack, which she barely managed to avoid. Her head jerked up as a result of another strike to the neck. Another hit went for the stomach. Devia knew she had to fight back, but any knowledge she may have gained has been forgotten. Another smack to the face. Another to the jaw. Each hit became more powerful than the last. As Devia tried to get back up to the ground, Härec's hair came at her like several lashes on her back. She felt as though her skin was getting yanked off by the sheer force of each strand of hair whacking her on each particle of the epidermis.

Devia thought that time was speeding by, and that if she could keep dodging for a little longer she'd do okay. But for some reason, something came about that shocked her. He stopped. The digital timer automatically shut off and Devia remained on the floor. The time read two minutes, thirty four seconds. Her whole body ached from the blows Härec dealt out, and all she wanted to do was rest. Harec walked over towards Devia as he put his hair back with a comb like instrument. She expected him to bring out his hand to help lift her from the ground, helping her to relax from such a physical practice.

Instead, she got the opposite. Härec looked down at his partner sternly. "What kind of a pathetic show was that? My grandfather has more strength than you, and he is close to death!"

The words struck Devia at her core. She thought that he would at least have shown more sportsmanship than that. "I did say that I would try my best..."

"Your best isn't good enough in this situation, Miss Devia." Härec replied coldly. "Do you realize what you're putting at risk? If my wife can't even take care of herself in battle, how will she be able to grant my children any good traits? It's weak behavior like that is the reason for why our race is growing so complacent."

"But I... That was the most I've ever fought... I thought... I did..." What first started off as watering in the eyes turned into tears rolling down her face. She bit down on her lip, whining as she tried to keep whatever composure she had left. The whining then turned into quivering, and from there Devia covered her face in shame with the tears flowing endlessly.

"Oh, stop that incessant crying! You're lucky that I didn't get the chance to kill you." Härec threw Devia's hair tie at her. As Devia's hands were shaking trying to put herself back together, another object was thrown her way. A small towel? She looked back up at Härec, who still maintained a stoic look.

"Clean yourself up." He said.

Devia gradually forced herself to ignore the feelings of defeat and worthlessness. She picked up the towel to clean and dry off her face with a nearby fountain. By the time she was finished and had calmed down some, she turned around to find that Härec had gone missing. Devia tilted her head, opening the door and looking from left to right. She moved between the maze like halls to try and see if there was even a glimpse of him to be found. She did eventually find him, but he was waiting at the Trafa's entrance. Härec had his face to the outside, scanning the building once in a while for Devia. Devia quickly rushed over to him, about to say that she wondered where he had run off to.

But before she could do so much as pronounce a syllable, she was interrupted once again. "Too slow. And don't speak to me unless spoken to, nor touch me unless given permission. Understand?"

Devia nodded hopelessly, just wanting this horrid day to be over. She could tell that Härec didn't want to be around her, but didn't have any other choice. She kept about an arm's length distance away from him. Close enough to make sure where he was, but distanced enough to not be a bother. Devia didn't try to make eye contact with him or any of the other Norgavians passing by. She knew that by how him and her looked, something had gone wrong. Throughout the time they walked, that very word wouldn't stop repeating in her head.

Wrong.

"Devia! Hello!" A familiar voice from the distance drew Devia and Härec's attention towards the marketplace. A Norgavian woman with pure white skin with periwinkle spots briskly walked towards them, and with a closer look they were able to see who it was.

"Zadra!" Devia greeted. Finally, a distraction for the both of them. "How wonderful to see you!"

"Oh? Are you engaging in your Eskavit, too?" Zadra asked, her beau trotting behind her. Upon closer inspection, Zadra's partner had lime skin with dark green spots.

"Yes, I- I mean, we are." Devia stumbled over her words. She stood back and let her partner be known to the other couple. "I would like to introduce you to Härec."

"Oh, hello Härec! I am Zadra, and this is my partner, Arawon!" Zadra introduced herself and her date. The two men shook each other's left hand firmly.

"I take it you two have already been acquainted with each other, yes?" Härec asked Devia.

"Yes, we have been friends since childhood." Devia explained, avoiding eye contact with him until the last minute.

Härec only nodded to her, turning his attention back to Arawon. "Have you and Zadra completed the duel?"

"Oh, no." Zadra shook her head. "Neither of us are suitable for fighting. Instead, we chose an alternative activity."

"I understand..." Härec's voice dropped half an octave. Devia knew that this was also a hidden response to her.

"Will we be seeing you two at our Eskavit?" Devia immediately changed the subject.

"Only if you two would be obliged to come." Zadra smiled. "Which is a definite yes."

"We would love to talk more, but I believe Devia needs to get home." Härec said, taking a note from Devia. "She is expected by her mother."

"Oh, what a shame." Zadra disappointingly shrugged. "But at least we'll be able to see you at your Eskavit! Goodbye!"

"Goodbye..." Devia waved, watching the happy couple go on their way. The day wasn't even halfway done, and yet Härec wanted to take her home? Something didn't sit right with this situation. Härec guided the way back to the LiQua, diverting his attention away from her as often as he could. Devia wished that he could just say something to ease the tension. Something to make her think that she wasn't completely worthless.

Härec stopped at the elevator entrance. He turned to her, his face still stoic as it had been since they left. The silence was like a cold presence going up Devia's spine, and she couldn't take any more of the silence.

"Do not speak to me until tomorrow at the wedding." Härec brushed past her and left the vicinity of the building. Devia sighed. It was something at least, but by no means encouraging. Now that she knew what her future husband thought of her, how would her parents react?

Devia entered her home without a word to say. Instead, she placed her gift inside her sleep chamber and continued to look out the window. She was glad that Zadra and Arawon didn't know, but her parents would be another hassle. She knew that they wouldn't let anything like this slide. Devia's body was still stiff, but no longer from the physical exertion. By the time Ylla had come home from work, Devia was still on her chair. When her daughter didn't respond to the first greeting, Ylla knew that something wasn't right.

"Devia, something is wrong. Tell me." Ylla grabbed a chair and sat across from her.

Devia remained silent, too afraid to speak.

"Devia, you must tell me. Otherwise a solution will not be brought."

"I... I failed the duel with Härec." Devia said quietly, bracing herself for the lecture that would come.

"You... failed?" Ylla's voice sounded more dumbfounded than mad. "But the training we've been giving you should have worked! There's no way you could have lost so easily. How long did the match last?"

Devia sighed. "Two minutes, thirty four seconds."

"Two minutes. Thirty four seconds..." Ylla's voice grew more serious, then exploded. "2:34?! You cannot be serious!"

The sudden yelling made Devia's ears start to ring. "I am serious, Kamda..."

"Your father and I taught you better than this!" Ylla continued her berating. "Were all those lessons from childhood to now meaningless?! No one in my family, or even your father's, never even scored lower than five minutes!"

The door opened and Chulir stepped into the commotion. "Ylla, Devia! What is the matter?"

"The matter is your daughter not only losing to Härec, but not even putting up a fight! 2:34, how pathetic!" Ylla ranted.

"2:34?! Devia, how could this be?" Chulir joined in the berating. "Are you really so ungrateful that you didn't pay attention to your fight lessons?"

"N-No Damka and Kamda. I-I remember, but.. but in the moment I just... forgot?" Devia stuttered.

"Forgot! There is no use for forgetfulness with the Norgavians!" Chulir boomed.

"But I'm not forgetful!" Devia stood up for herself. "I-I tried explaining that to Härec and-"

"Explaining? Ha! Now Härec is stuck with you and our race will soon be tainted!" Chulir put his hands in the air.

"But may I have a... different husband?"

"You aren't giving this matter the care that it needs, are you?" Chulir glared. "Of course you may not have a different husband! What our leader says goes! Even if that could be an option, it's far too late for that now!"

Devia wasn't given any warning as to what would happen next. Ylla swept Devia off her feet by grabbing her by the neck and lifting her up. Devia struggled to break free with both her hair and hands, but neither was working. Devia's feet kicked to try and aim at something, anything. The fatigue from earlier combined with the fear of the moment meant that this would not end well for her. She tried to get some air into her lungs.

"Listen to me, Devia." Ylla's voice grew sharp and icy. "I don't want to hear any talk of you getting a new husband or making excuses for why you aren't the way you should. Tomorrow is the wedding and everyone we know is going to be there. The fate of our race falls within each new couple. So help me, I will not let this little attitude of yours chance it. _Do. Not. Ruin this. For us._ "

Ylla practically threw Devia to the ground as she lay gasping for air. Ylla and Chulir simply walked away as if nothing had occurred. They only left Devia to swallow up air and cry from the shock. It was as if she didn't even exist to them. She crawled over to her sleeping chamber and got inside, not even bothering to turn it on for sleeping purposed. The only thing she did was lay on her side and cry some more.


	4. Chapter 4- Say Yes to The Dress

**Chapter Four: Say Yes To The Dress**

The big day had finally arrived. Alphys had managed to complete both EX and NEO forms quicker than either of them had imagined. Mettaton expected the process to go on for longer, but Alphys had apparently kicked it into high gear with the time she was given. She sacrificed many of her anime and manga hours for this project, and in the end it was more than worth it. To treat herself later, she figured she could marathon the newer episodes of Mew Mew Kissy Cutie, even if they were just filler before the next big arc. She escorted Mettaton into the elevator, both jittery from the excitement for the reveal.

The elevator stopped and Alphys was the first to enter the dark room. She purposefully kept it so before Mettaton came to the lab. "A-are you r-ready to see your new body?"

"More than ever, Alphys!"

"O-Okay...one... two... three!" Alphys turned on the light. "Ta da!"

In the center of the room, a humanoid robot body was propped up by a steel pipe. The body alone was at least six foot tall, maybe seven. Jet black hair covered up the right eye as a fringe while the left eye had metal segments below and above it. Long, fake eyelashes just barely brushed against the skin. Going down lower, the pink chest piece had a speaker on the right hand side with a dial on the other. Black shoulder guards were placed above the familiar segmented arms, ending in a pair of white gloves. Mettaton assumed that the clear, metallic casing that made up his waist would be for storing his soul. The feature that caught is attention the most were the legs. Beautiful and long, fitting in perfectly with the hourglass motif. The high heeled boots that started at the knees were the finishing touch, being the same color as the chest plate. And the best part of the ensemble? Not a single scratch or smudge was ever placed on it. Mettaton lightly caressed the left cheek attentively, as if he were observing a piece of fine art.

"W-well?" The silence was starting to make Alphys think that he had grown unappreciative. "Wh-what do you think?"

"Oh, Alphys..." Mettaton stood completely in awe at his new body. He traced the outlines of the chest plate delicately. If he had tear ducts, small droplets would be starting to coming out. "It's even more beautiful in person!"

"R-really?" Alphys was taken aback.

"Well, of course darling!" Mettaton circled the new body once more. "You've managed to replicate every single detail from such a simple sketch to a work of grandeur!"

"D-do you want to know what the best part about this is?" Alphys inquired, beginning to get excited from his excitement. "This new upgrade can switch between not only your box form, but it can also alternate between your NEO form as well!"

"Alphys! How in the world were you able to manage that?" Mettaton gasped.

"Well, it's simple really." Alphys explained. "I just made a few alterations to your original form's data and combined some of the similar compartments between the NEO and EX forms. That, and quite a handful of magic of course. But..."

"But what?"

"But since we have to transfer your soul into this new interface, the new body you will get will be... bulkier, to say the least. You'll still be able to control it, but still..."

"If it means I have to suffer the weight gain of a camera or a machine to achieve my true beauty, then nothing else matters!" Surprisingly enough, this detail didn't seem to bother him. "I'm too elated to care! Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Alphys began to blush. "Aww, Mettaton. Anything to make you happy."

"For this request, I'm going to do my best to return the favor!" Mettaton said, surprising Alphys.

Alphys chuckled nervously. "Oh, there's no need for that."

"But there must be something I can do to repay you!" Mettaton insisted. "A gift like this can't go unappreciated with just words!"

"R-really, you don't have to do anything for me." The redness of Alphys' face was more out of embarrassment now.

"Nonsense, Alphys! I will find a way to make this up to you!" Mettaton declared. He then started to pace around the room. "Think, Metta, think..."

"Mettaton, I-I appreciate the sentiment. R-really, I do but-"

"Aha! I know!" Mettaton cut off Alphys. "Alphys, I'm going to take you out shopping!"

Alphys' eyes grew wide and her jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "Wait, what?"

"Oh, come now. Do you honestly expect me to just let you sit in here all day by your lonesome?" Mettaton put a hand on his nonexistent hip. "Besides, your wardrobe could use a little... variety, so to speak. No offense."

"None taken, I guess." Alphys wasn't sure what to make of that comment. "B-but I don't really think b-being around so many p-people is a good idea..."

"And why not?" Mettaton asked. "I'm sure your old friends would love to see you!"

"B-b-but I.. I..." Alphys became a stuttering mess.

"Fine. If I have to drag you there myself, then so be it!" Mettaton sighed and proceeded to take Alphys' hand. "Come on, you need the time out. And I will not take 'no' for an answer!"

"H-hey! Wait a sec!" Alphys felt herself being dragged into the elevator by the design she helped invent. She cursed at herself internally for making Mettaton's body so strong. Any more resisting on her end would only be meant with further insistence. Alphys knew that this was an uphill battle that she likely wasn't going to win. She just prayed that the trip wouldn't last too long.

~~~

Soft music and a subtle warmth greeted the two as they entered the little shop in Snowden. There was a faint scent of perfume lingering inside. It looked small on the outside, but walking in the place gave the illusion that it was much bigger than it actually was. The paint had been freshly put on, jewelry was placed near the entrance, and the changing rooms were on the far end of the building. Normally, Mettaton didn't go to Snowden much due to how cold it was, but for today he was willing to make an exception. Alphys scanned the store, not only at the selection of clothes, but to see if there was anyone around that she knew. Thankfully, there wasn't any familiar face to be seen. With that figured out, Alphys could finally relax a little bit.

"Hello there, Mettaton!" The store clerk greeted. She recognized him immediately. No one else in the Underground had such a recognizable figure as him. "Can I help you out with anything?"

"Oh, I'm just looking for some clothes for my friend here." Mettaton directed a hand towards Alphys. "Do you have anything in her size we can check out?"

"Oh, most certainly!" The clerk clapped her hands together. "We've got a fair selection over in the women's section. It's also buy one, get one fifty percent off this weekend!"

"Excellent! You sure do know how to make a customer happy." Mettaton complimented.

"Anything for you, Mettaton." The clerk replied dreamily, followed by a lighthearted chuckle. The action made it seem like she had a schoolgirl crush on the robot. Not that bothersome to Mettaton, but somewhat off-putting to Alphys. She scurried away from the counter to guide the two over to the plus size section of the store. Dresses, shirts, and pants were all neatly hung up on separate rackets with the dresses being in the middle of it all. "Will that be all for you?"

"Oh, y-yes ma'am." Alphys spoke up, the clerk smiling warmly before leaving and reminding them she'd be there if they needed anything. Without a moment's notice, Mettaton was already going through the selection, commenting to himself on everything he found.

"Oh, Alphys! You would look absolutely stunning in this!" Mettaton spotted a black dress with white polka dots.

"I-I like it too, but w-when am I gonna be able to actually wear it?" Alphys felt the cotton-like material of the dress.

Mettaton brought the dress up to Alphys to measure it's height compared to hers. "Oh, I didn't mean this for everyday use. You can use it for whenever you get the chance to go on that dream date of yours with... hm.. what was her name again?"

"Uh..Uh... Un.. Undy-" Alphys stuttered, her face becoming red as a tomato. She tried to keep quiet while saying her name.

"Undyne, that's it!" Mettaton snapped his fingers. "Don't really get what you see in her, but I'm not one to judge. But back on topic, you have to try this on!"

"A-Are you sure? I-I don't think I-I'd look that good in it..." Alphys began to grow anxious.

"Oh, nonsense Alphys!" Mettaton tried to encourage her. "I think this would compliment your figure marvelously! Will you try it on for me, at least?"

"Um.. oh, alright. If it makes you happy." Alphys gave into Mettaton's request. The dress was handed to her almost instantly.

"Good! Now don't you dare come out of that dressing room until you have that dress on!"

"Got it!" Alphys replied from the dressing room. Mettaton patiently waited outside, pretending to go his nails even though he had none to speak of. After a moment of shuffling around in the dressing room, Alphys peeked her head from out of the door.

"Oh, Alphys! Ready already?"

"Y-yeah, but... are you sure you'll think I'll look g-good?"

"Cross my heart shaped soul!" Mettaton made a crossing gesture.

"O-Okay..." Alphys put one foot out of the dressing room. After some more coaxing on Mettaton's end, Alphys finally got up the courage to completely step out. Just as Mettaton suspected. The dress not only complimented her figure to a 't', but it also confirmed that Alphys looked great in polka dots. If he didn't know any better, he would have sworn that she was wearing rhinestones.

"Alphys! You look marvelous!" Mettaton cheered.

"R-really?" Alphys smiled warmly, doing a small twirl as the bottom of the dress flowed by her ankles carelessly. "B-because I like it too, Mettaton! I like it a lot!"

"I knew you would!" Mettaton chuckled. "I'm never wrong about these things. With that dress, Undyne will fall for you for sure!"

"You think so?" Alphys blushed as the thought of the strong warrior crossed her mind.

" _Think_ so?! Honey, I _know_ so!"

Alphys' smile grew wider. It was moments like these that made her friendship with Mettaton worth it. It's like he always knows what to say at what time. Despite his eccentric and selfish tendencies, it was almost as if the two had been best friends for years. The two had their squabbles and disagreements like any friends would, but the good times were something that they would both strive for. As Alphys got to know Mettaton more, he got to see a more generous side to him that completely contradicted her very first impressions of him. She got the selfish part down to an extent, but it's the part about caring about others is what threw her off guard. She never expected him to be filled with so much kindness, especially towards her. To think that all of this started with the request of building a robot body.

"H-hey, M-Mettaton?"

"Hm?"

"W-wanna t-take advantage of that store deal?"

"Oh, darling! I thought you'd never ask!" Mettaton exclaimed. Alphys giggled in response to his enthusiasm.

"W-well... Let's get shopping!" And for the rest of the day, Alphys felt like she didn't have a care in the world.


	5. Chapter 5- Speak Now

**Chapter Five: Speak Now**

Devia sat in front of a giant oval mirror as the lights coming from it were starting to make her face hot. The heat combined with the tugging at and brushing of her hair made sitting still almost impossible. Devia decided to sit through the ordeal, a lump in her throat forming from the chatter in the background. She couldn't even begin to imagine what the guests were talking about behind her back. Apparently, word had gotten out about Devia's failure from yesterday and everyone made sure to not let her live it down. Devia wouldn't be able to hear the end of this long into both her life and her marriage. It was a greatly noticeable scar on her reputation, and the other half of the chatter was focused on their sympathy towards Härec. He was the real star of the show, and Devia was the villain.

"It is done." The Norgavian hair stylist let her hands free from Devia's hair. Before Devia could get the chance to thank her, she walked away without saying another word. Devia looked into the mirror one last time, looking at how the stylist did her job. Ponytails were strictly used for special occasions, and this event was no exception. A roll of her hair started the ensemble as the rest of her hair tumbled down neatly from the bottom. Shards of gold were put on the small bun and the rest of her hair, giving it a shimmering effect. The fihema in the center of her head was even like a tiara. However, the stylist couldn't find a way to tame the spikes of hair popping out from her head, so she gave up on trying halfway through the gelling process.

"Okay, Devia. You can do this." Devia looked into the mirror, talking to herself. It didn't matter to her that passerby's had their attention turned to her. "This is your last chance to prove that you are worth something here. As long as the wedding goes as planned, there should not be anything to worry about."

"You are absolutely right, Devia." Ylla came out, causing Devia to make a small squeaking sound out of being taken out of the moment. She looked at the dress Devia had on. It was a metallic dress that reached down to around the thigh, a mixture of pale blue, gray, and black. It was asymmetrical in both the chest and the lower part where it began to split off in two directions. The accents of the dress also followed their own rhythm, either going horizontal or vertical. The boots she wore covered her knees like a set of protective pieces, and the bottom of each boot had a black accent to them.

"My, you look absolutely ravishing." Ylla flattered Devia. "I wouldn't expect less from such an important day."

"W-well, um.. thank-"

"And don't forget what you're doing, either. Fail again and there will be a heavy price to pay." Ylla grabbed Devia by the chin to force her to look her in the eyes. Once she stopped talking, Ylla loosened her grip on Devia and turned her lose. "I'll see you at the front row, honey!"

Devia watched Ylla scurry back to Chulir and take his arm. Devia wanted to be happy like Ylla and Chulir are, or even like Zadra and Arawon. She wanted to have a love like that. But she couldn't dare love a man that made her feel like a toy. For him, she felt nothing. She tried to get herself to feel something for him, but all that did was give her a migraine. Devia looked at the clock by the mirror. One more minute, and everyone would be expecting her to be out there. She had to be something that she wasn't: perfect.

~~~

The doors remained shut for the moment. The Wedding Hall was filled with family and friends, some of which were well known in high class circles. Everyone she and Härec knew were out there, probably chatting to themselves quietly before the bells would ring. She wondered what they were talking about, hopefully nothing too harsh. Devia held on to a box barely the size of her fist, where the ring for Härec was in. Devia took in deep breaths every few minutes and tapped her feet to try and calm herself. Just as she was finally calm enough to endure the ceremony, the bells began to softly ring. The two doors in front of her opened before her slowly, creating an atmosphere of suspense. Her grip on the box tightened. The tapping stopped. All eyes were on her.

There was no turning back now.

Devia gingerly took one step at a time towards the altar, where Härec looked at her with a blank expression. Härec was just about as elegantly dressed as she, except he had silver in his hair and his suit was dark gray and taupe. She tried to focus only on him, despite the sets of eyes judging her from where they were seated. Some of disinterest, others of scorn and distrust. The only one who seemed to be smiling was Zadra. They were all like millions of microscopic cameras, monitoring every minuscule movement from head to toe. Her hands began to shake and she was beginning to lose feeling in her legs. She tried to gulp down the anxiety, but to no avail. She couldn't afford to crack now. Her whole race depended on a successful marriage and new generations to continue with their plans. All this responsibility on her and none on her suitor. Devia began to feel dizzy. Sweat was coming down her forehead Suddenly, all the possible and visible sayings that they had in their minds were flooding into the girl's head. The voices became mashed together, barely indistinguishable from each other.

 _"How dare she be marrying my son."_

 _"I wouldn't want her anywhere near my children."_

 _"Fail again and there will be a heavy price to pay."_

 _"Do. Not. Ruin this. For us."_

 _"You're the weakest link in our strongest generation!"_  
 _  
"I greatly pity your future children, since they'll have to grow up with such an incompetent mother. Hopefully, none of your genes follow on to them."_

 _"How did I get stuck with such a useless woman!?"  
_  
 _"You can't do anything right! How will you be able to survive a marriage?"_  
 _  
"Remember to make us proud."_

 _"You will bring honor to us all."_

The crowd wasn't prepared for what would transpire. A loud and bloody screech echoed throughout the hall, shocking everyone due to the volume and location of the sound. Another scream. And then another. And another. There was barely a gap between each of them, which all spelled out fear and catharsis. Each loud sound came back to back to back in rapid progression. Gasps from the guests and chatter began to surface, wondering what in the world was going on. It was Devia, howling at the top of her lungs with her hands clawing at her head.

"D-Devia!" Zadra got up from her seat and rushed over to her crying friend. Ylla was also standing on her daughter's other side. "Are you alright!?"

"Devia, you're embarrassing us." Ylla spoke to her in just above a whisper. "Pull yourself together for us, okay?"

"Of _course_ you would want me to do that!" Devia, rather unexpectedly, yelled directly in her mother's face in a rather sarcastic manner. "That seems to be all you truly care about! You and Damka!"

Ylla's look of concern turned into a scowl. "I don't know what has suddenly overcome you, but you need to stop. Now!"

"And for what? So I can marry a Norgavian who doesn't love me?!" Devia threw the box down onto the ground, breaking it and letting the ring roll away onto the ground. Härec went chasing after the ring, clasping it within the palms of his hands.

"Devia, you know that love only complicates things. It's a barbaric emotion." Ylla tried to remain composed through her daughter's tantrum.

"Well, I want to _feel_ love! I _want_ to feel like I'm important for once!" Devia made a pointing gesture to herself, poking at her sternum. "I don't want to continue feeling like I'm worthless!"

"Devia, you are not worthless. You're purpose is furthering the success for our future-" Chulir tried to cut in.

"See?! It's like I don't have a purpose unless it's for this damn 'greater good'! Well, what about what _I_ want to do?! Did you two even _think_ about your own child, or was I just a pawn for all this?!"

"You know good and well that marriage and procreating are the best thing for our kind. Ever since the war, our numbers have dwindled." Chulir's voice temporarily overcame hers. "Even you must understand this."

"Come now, Devia. We can talk about all these sorts of politics later." Ylla tried to calm down Devia despite her failing to do so herself. "Can we please continue where we left off?"

"No." Devia growled.

Ylla was taken aback, including Härec's mother and father. "What did you just say?"

"I. Said. _No_." Devia glared at Ylla, giving her the same icy tone she had endured time and time again.

"You ungrateful child!" Ylla shouted.

"Devia, don't be ridiculous." Chulir tried to place a hand on her shoulder. "Let's just move on with the wedding and-"

" _No!_ " Devia shouted, visible tears pouring down her face in anger as she swiped it away. "If you want Härec to have a wife in this pointless pursuit, then find someone else! Because you and I all know that I'll never be a suitable wife! It's like all of you keep saying to my face and when I'm not around! _I'll just doom us all!_ "

The whole crowd grew silent. There was only the sound of Devia's heavy panting now. She didn't know or care to find out what would happen now. All that mattered now was that all that pent up frustration was out of her system. A ringing sensation returned to her ears and the tears soon faded away from her cheeks. The silence after the storm was only temporary. Härec's voice soon took over.

"If you refuse to comply, I guess we'll just simply have to kill you." His voice was suspiciously quiet. "Luckily for you, I called in the guards from the main entrance to take care of the issue. They're much more equipped to handle executions. Did you know that, Devia? Of course not. Stupid girl."

Devia's eyes widened as she frantically turned around to see the two burly Norgavian men from yesterday. Devia automatically regretted her outburst earlier. She didn't want to die, but she didn't want to be strapped down to Härec either. "Kamda, Damka! Please!"

"You can take her, now." Härec passively said to the guards. Her parents were doing nothing to stop this. Within the crowd, Zadra tried her best to loosen the grip her parents had on her.

The guards both lunged for her much smaller body. Thankfully, her more slender figure allowed her to be able to slither away from their grasp. Devia backed away from the crowd and the guards slowly and her eyes went in every direction, trying to find an exit to get away. Her brain was on fight-or-flight mode, and she was going to use the latter. Devia saw the doors she used to enter the hall, and she dashed towards the doors. Devia haphazardly tried to close the doors and lock them with a specialized key. However, before she could even make it out of the building, the guards found a way to use their physical strength to their advantage. Devia tried this same process again, only this time the doors were made of a sturdier material. This would buy Devia much more time to go through with the next phase of her plan. She couldn't hide anywhere in the Hub because she would be found eventually. Devia, in her panicked state, saw everyone as an enemy out to get her. She was not thinking. Her only thinking was through her actions. Her eyes took aim for the entrance. Those doors would be her way out of here.

Devia freed some parts of her hair in order to prepare for any possible combat. The two temporary guards took notice of her running towards the door. They got out their laser guns and began firing directly at her. Devia now had to dodge each stinging ray as she came closer and closer. Devia kept pushing on, and by the time she had gotten close enough to use any sort of offensive tactics, she used one side of her hair as a whip to knock one guard to the ground, picking up his gun in the process. The guards from before were now in her range of sight, and Devia used the gun to fire at the guards. They were mostly misses, but the ones that really counted were towards the neck and the fihema. The shots that didn't get directly towards those areas reached the arms and feet, which was enough to be able to slow them down.

Devia made a perfect aim for one guard's fihema, and from there she zoomed to his position to steal his entrance card. Devia slipped a little as she bolted for the door and slammed into it. A laser shot to the leg made her screech and cower, but she forced herself to slip in the card with her other hand in order to break free. Each set of doors would only be open for a set amount of time, so she had to act fast. From there, Devia hopped to the next set of doors and repeated the same process, trying to avoid getting hit. Another hit to her free arm made her slump forward. Shakily, the card went inside a rectangular slot. The doors opened up a world of blue hues.

Devia slid out of the first door and weakly stumbled back onto her feet. Right in front of Devia in the distance was a great waterfall. She quickly darted a look behind her before quickly moving towards the body of water at full speed. She was fatigued, but she needed to run. The water above her head crashed and slammed her down to the ground, resulting in her unexpectedly getting a small amount of the liquid substance in her lungs. By the time she had become submerged, Devia was chaotically trying to find her way up to the surface. Devia gasped in the fresher air deeply, her hair and clothes now completely drenched.

Devia's legs now felt like jelly and her chest was burning. She could barely make another sprint with the water log effect in place. But the fact of the matter was she still wasn't safe here. Devia didn't care which direction she was headed or where it would lead her to. The only thing that was on her mind was to get as far away from the Hub as possible.


	6. Chapter 6- Is There More?

**Chapter Six: Is There More?**

Since the time between the EX's forms creations and Mettaton's new updates, he's been taking every opportunity he could to strut around with his new body. His box form had to have more bulk to carry on with maintaining three forms at once, but this was the only downside he could see. He would return to his box form only when he was on camera or in public. Mettaton wanted to keep the new body a secret until the right moment. What or when that moment would be was still up for debate and chance. Nonetheless, he fell in love with is EX form the moment it was made. Being inside such a new form was awe-inspiring to him. On the outside, Mettaton was complete. He often carried a mirror around to gaze at himself. He had become the god Narcissus, give or take a few qualities.

But there was that nagging feeling. A feeling that the ghost turned robot couldn't escape. It was a feeling of emptiness. No matter what he did, it just didn't feel good enough. It was a somewhat lonely existence being famous. Sure, there was the crew and Burgerpants to boss around, but there were few individuals that even slightly filled that void. There were his cousins, Napstablook and the now Mad Dummy, though he had more of a connection with the former. Not that he didn't love Mad Dummy, but his off the wall anger would sometimes deter Mettaton. There was also Alphys, who he had grown to appreciate her friendship more over time. He thought her interests were a little pathetic at best, but he himself was on the same boat of strange as well. He was thankful for the day he first got a body and had his show developed. If it weren't for her, he would probably still be at the Snail Farm with Napstablook. As much as Mettaton loved his cousin, there was only so much more time at that place before he would lose his mind. There was more to what Mettaton wanted than just the Snail Farm, but is there more to where he is now?

Even they weren't quite the solution he needed. They helped, but they didn't completely take those emotions away. Was it his act? Was it his surroundings? Mettaton knew that there had to be something else out there beyond the Underground, and he wanted to have a taste of it. But trying to leave the surface was near impossible now. No one has found a solution to break the barrier yet, and it was highly unlikely that a solution would come to that problem anytime soon. So for now, he and everyone else was stuck down here.

He greatly suspected that his act was beginning to tire out, so Mettaton decided to ask Alphys for her input on the situation. Mettaton found her on her usual spot, watching anime on her personal computer. The scene was currently showing some sort of transformation scene.

"Alphys? May I ask you something?"

"S-sure, Mettaton." Alphys turned to him, pausing the show on the screen. "What is it?"

"Do you think my act has gone stale?" Mettaton asked, putting a hand on his hip.

"What do you mean?" Alphys grew curious. She sat down with her stomach laying on the back of the chair with her arms crossed on top of one another.

Mettaton sighed. "Well, it's just that... Ever since I became a star, it's like I've barely done anything to change things up. My fans deserve better- hell, even _I_ deserve better! Them and I need something new, something refreshing! I can't just keep doing the same old thing forever, you know. That's how stars fade on the surface. No variety is a sign of being a one trick pony, and I am more than just a one trick pony. I can sing, I can dance, I can do all sorts of things in this body thanks to you. But how do I implement those talents? Sure, there's the cooking program and the news, but that can only hold an audience for so long. I'm so afraid of my audience leaving me for someone else! So please, I ask of you... what should I do?"

"Oh, gee Mettaton..." Alphys cleaned her glasses and put them back on. "I-I really don't know what to say, m-me being a scientist and all that. Is there anything you haven't tried yet? Maybe one of your older ideas could help bring in new viewers."

"I see." Mettaton rested his chin in his fingers. He then took a notepad and pen from the desk and began to jot down more ideas. "Go on."

"W-well, didn't you say you wanted to do a talent show or something like that?" Alphys thought back to the first ideas Mettaton brought up when they first met.

"Of course I did!" Mettaton's memory of that flashed like a light bulb being turned on.

"M-maybe now you can actually follow through on that!" Alphys continued.

"Alphys, you're a genius!" Mettaton put an arm around her. "Just imagine it: monsters showing off their talents in front of a live audience! And the best part? The winner gets to have a role in my upcoming movie: METTATON: THE MOVIE XXVIII! Or better, become a star! Oh, I don't know what I would have done if you weren't here!"

Alphys chuckled lightheartedly. "Hey, it's your brain not mine. Glad I could help jog your memory."

"And it would be the perfect way to introduce my new body to my fans!" Mettaton clapped his hands. "Imagine the looks on their faces when my beautiful EX form is first showcased on live TV!"

"I j-just know they'll love it!" Alphys clapped along with him.

"Now you're speaking my language! But we're going to need judges. I myself would be one, obviously, but there's two more slots that need to be filled." Mettaton's eyes widened shortly after commenting, and he slowly turned his head. A devilish grin started to grow on his face. He was now completely turned towards Alphys, with her eyes darting from left to right.

"Um..." Alphys mumbled. "W-who were you-"

"Well, you sweetie!" Mettaton exclaimed. "Who else would I pick?"

"B-b-but Mettaton! I-I don't know how to be a judge!" Alphys replied.

"You'll get the hang of it once you keep doing it. But please, Alphys?"

Alphys sighed. "No, Mettaton."

"Please?" Mettaton asked again, stretching out the word.

"No."

"Ple-ease?"

"No!" Alphys then saw what Mettaton was doing. He pouted his lower lip and his eyes grew wide. "Oh no..."

Metaton gave a whimpering sound, trying to sound like a puppy.

"No, Mettaton! That trick i-isn't going to work on m-me!" Alphys crossed her arms.

Mettaton whimpered again repeatedly, quivering his lip.

Alphys gave out a frustrated sigh. "You're not gonna stop until I say yes, aren't you?"

Not once breaking out of his scheme, he nodded slowly in response.

"F-fine..." Alphys caved. Only then did Mettaton's face return to its regular demeanor.

"Fantastic!" Mettaton smiled. "I'll meet up with you later to discuss further plans. Ciao~"


	7. Chapter 7- Girl In The Metallic Dress

**Chapter Seven: The Girl in The Metallic Dress**

Devia didn't know how she went from running in a cavernous region to walking in a much more arid region. Her pants turned into silent heaving, and whatever strength in her legs she had left was barely there. The heat from the lava down below and in the air was making Devia's skin hot. There wasn't any water to be seen for miles, and yet her mouth screamed for it. The dust from the ground made Devia cough, making breathing more difficult for her. She walked for what seemed like hours but was most likely minutes. The heat was scorching with no end in sight. The soles of her feet felt as though they were on fire. She started to see spots of black in her eyes. She tried to blink them away but they only seemed to spread as she slowly lost consciousness. She didn't even notice the pounding footsteps heading her way.

Her hearing had become too muted to be able to hear much of anything other than garbled noises and mumbles. Her clothes clung helplessly to her skin, dried up and near ruined from the exposure to the elements. Devia soon found herself slumping forward, her only mode of balance being her knees that hit the ground. More dust came in contact with her eyes and mouth and another cough sharply exited her lungs. Another tired cough escaped her, and she grew weaker with each passing second. The footsteps from before grew louder and louder. Was it them? Were they coming for her? Did they find her already? A fading silhouette came into her line of vision. Was this what she thought it was? Yes. This was it.

She was going to die right here and now. She deserved it for all the trouble she put others through since her birth. After all, she was an imperfect outcast. A glitch in her now former society. They wouldn't miss her. They would revel in her death. She would be made an example of for many years to come. Just as she fell forward, a pair of arms caught her. Devia tried to keep her eyes open and lift up her arm, but she had become too fatigued to do much of anything now. All she could comprehend was her warm face was resting against something cool. Everything then faded to black in that instant with one last breath.

~~~

Devia was started to hear voices through the dark void. One of them sounded masculine while the other sounded feminine, and their voices were filled with worry. She couldn't make out what they were saying though. She tried to move her arm, but it wouldn't budge. She wasn't able to move her legs all that much either. Instead, she put all her strength into trying to open her eyes. Everything was so fuzzy when she finally gained back consciousness. Was she back home? Did they find her and take her back? Was she to be executed? Was she...dead? She slowly blinked to bring her surroundings into focus.

As her vision was coming back, a bright light from above caused her to immediately shut her eyes again. From what she could make out, she was lying down and in some sort of room. She couldn't even understand what language those voices were speaking in, as it didn't sound anything like her own. She was no longer in her metallic dress from earlier, as Devia was now wearing a much lighter material. Her body somehow felt cleaner than before. She slowly moved her head to the side to get a better view of her surroundings.

"H-Hey! She's waking up!"

"Oh my! Darling, are you alright? Can you hear us?"

She slowly opened her eyes, but squinted until they could adjust. There before her was a reptile creature wearing a lab coat and beside them, much closer to her, was some kind of metal person. Suddenly, a massive wave of thoughts rushed through her mind. Who were these strange people and where was she now? Did they kidnap her? Were they going to take her back to the Hub? Were they going to run experiments on her? She had to get up. She had to get out of there. Her heart started racing. She tried to move her fingers. Slowly she was able to ball them up into a fist.

One leg lifted up, and the other gradually followed suit. Devia's eyes grew wide as fear overcame her. Her lower lip quivered as she lifted her fist. She then punched the space where the robot stood and darted for the floor. She collapsed at first, but slowly regained her balance the more the moved. Once she made it out of the room, her first priority was finding a door. Devia made a break for the entrance, but to her surprise it was locked. She clawed and banged on the door helplessly. "Chæ?! Mūtodyêt! Chälæ nyesodo!"

The robot ran after her and called out to her. "Wait, miss! We saved you! You're safe here!"

Whatever he was saying didn't sound like it could be good. She quickly slipped past him and dove under the table. She _had_ to find another way out. Some sort of way to leave this place. But how? She was now cornered. Why won't they just leave her alone?

"L-let me handle this," The reptile said as she knelt by the table. "I-it's okay. W-we're not going to hurt you..."

"Dåjētâr!" Devia shouted. Devia's hair began to levitate above the floor. A portion of her hair charged towards Alphys' feet. Alphys jumped away from it with a squeal. While she was distracted with one of them for the time being, she fled from the table and tried to find another exit. Mettaton's eyes followed the stranger grudgingly and with a growing amount of annoyance. He helped get her to safety and this is how she would repay the two?

"Oh no you don't!" Mettaton exclaimed as he took off after her.

"B-be careful, M-Mettaton!" The reptile woman called after him.

Devia looked around frantically for a quick escape. Despite her injuries still slowing her down some, she managed to find the kitchen by the main floor. It looked untouched and neat, as if it hadn't been used that often. Either that, or someone was very conscientious about keeping an organized environment. She saw all sorts of cookery, but no exit. Devia looked up towards the ceiling and saw a closed vent. Maybe she could try to climb up there?

Once Devia saw that the robot was now chasing after her, she grew more panicked than she had been before. When she took a leap to the left, he copied her. Same if she were to do it to the right. He was right there following her and her steps. It looked to be that her escape plan had to wait for now. That robot needed to be taken care of first, regardless of her own strengths.

"Yeinyyd haẵgḙt schkiväät?!" Devia tried to search for some sort of weapon, but none were big enough to suffice adequate injury. If she was going to fight, she may as well cause some damage. So she just had to use her hair for the remainder of time she was here.

She backed up towards the counter and tried to strike at him. He swiftly dodged the assault and slowly stepped forward. Devia tried to swipe at him again and again until she could find something to fight with. She reached behind her and tried to grab the nearest object to her. Her fingers wrapped around a metal bar and gripped it firmly. She took the frying pan and swung it at him as hard as she could. To her surprise, he grabbed the pan right about as it was about to hit his face. She tried doing the same with a rusty pot, but that failed to make contact as well when he grabbed its handle. What was she to do now? Her normal attacks didn't work, and he was bound to dodge any object thrown his way. More questions flowed within her, but there was one she was most concerned with: why was he continuing to look at her like that, in such an unnerving way?

She cowered and slumped to the floor, her vision not leaving the robot despite the tears growing. "Ĥjætḳa... n-namō?"

"Are you done now?" He asked. Mettaton knelt down and held out his hand to her. Devia shrank away from his hand and away from him as far as she could. She still couldn't understand a word of what he said. Why was this woman being so resistant with him?

"Look, I don't understand why you're acting like this, but that's no excuse for you to-" He was cut off by a quiet whimpering sound. Mettaton looked to see the girl with her hands covering her head. Her knees were now tucked into her body as the stranger hid into her own little shell. She had hoped he wouldn't notice her fear, but it was pointless. This monster was going to make Devia pay, she just knew it. The whimpers became more audible despite them being stifled. Her shaking got worse despite sitting perfectly still.

"Miss, are... are you alright?" Mettaton couldn't help but start to feel bad. What did he do, if anything, to make her so upset? Devia automatically flinched at the robot's touch initial touch to the shoulder. This caused Mettaton to slowly reel back his hand. Did she truly think that something would happen to her?

"If you think I'm trying to hurt you in some way, I'm not..." Mettaton tried to console the crying stranger.

"P-pởlchästä.. n-nyẻtşiṿai..." The girl spoke between small hiccups in her voice. Her voice became slightly cracked now.

He paused and rubbed his chin, wondering what could possibly be the problem. Then it dawned on him. He finally realized the language barrier between the two. No wonder she wasn't processing what she was being told. The other downside was that he had no way of telling what she was saying either. She must have thought that he was going to try to kill her, or worse. Mettaton knew that there had to be some sort of way to tell her he didn't intend to cause her any pain. Then, an idea struck him.

She heard him talk in a softer tone than before. Devia slowly lifted up her head, her large purple eyes popping out first. Below her eyes were wet splotches from where her tears had spread out. From what she could see, the robot was making strange gestures with his hands. Just what exactly was he trying to do here? He was trying to make signs as he spoke each word that he wasn't going to hurt her. She began to look up and watched him carefully, trying to make sense of it all. He fumbled around with his fingers as he continued to talk along the rhythm.

"I," Mettaton pointed to himself. "Will not," Next there was an x motion. "Harm you." He pointed to Devia before making a stabbing motion with his hand. He repeated this motion once more for her once she had completely faced him.

Devia slowly returned his gaze. It was at that moment that she finally figured it all out. He was trying to communicate with her rather than try to fight back. How foolish she was for not realizing this sooner! Once Devia realized this, she started to calm down from what she perceived was happening initially. She still kept her distance from him, but she now had a better idea of his intentions. She wiped the tears from her face with one of the loose ends of her shirt.

Mettaton smiled at her, knowing this time the message got across to her. He calmly held out a hand to her once more and motioned with his free hand to come. Devia looked down at his hand and then at him. She hesitated for a long moment before finally reaching for his hand. She knew she couldn't just sit there forever. If these people weren't trying to harm her, she needed to find out just what they wanted was. Devia took his hand and held a loose grip on it. She got up slowly with him and kept about an arm's length distance from him as she held his hand. Once she would be able to decipher the language around her, Devia knew that she would have to apologize for her behavior towards her two rescuers first.

"I've got good news and bad news, Alphys. The good news is that I've finally gotten her to calm down." Mettaton explained. "The bad news is she doesn't understand a single bit of our language. Only basic signs."

"W-well...I have heard of sign language but that's most likely too complicated for her. She'd need a simplified version." Alphys pointed out. Mettaton let out a sigh.

"It's not like we can read her mind either. If only..." he said. Devia looked around the surroundings once more and then at the two monsters. She listened carefully, trying to make heads or tails but to no avail.

Devia began to grow frustrated from this gap. She decided to give up on this pursuit and decided to look around a bit. Somewhere around this time, she looked down to see what she was wearing. It was a white collared shirt that was bigger on her than she expected. A pant like cloth was the one thing covering her legs. She touched it carefully. It was very soft but smooth at the same time. An odd combination but it was somehow soothing too. Better than that metal dress she'd wore earlier. Then a thought came to mind. 'Did they dress me?' she thought. She nearly face palmed at her own thought but quickly shook her head and tried to push it away. The thought of strangers undressing her while unconscious made her more uneasy. Especially that robot.

Devia now brought her focus to finding something to put her hair up with. There wasn't any sort of flexible material to work with, so Devia had to work with the next best thing. She looked around carefully and picked up a white object on the table. It looked similar to a comb of sorts except the shape was very peculiar. She decided it would have to do and used it to put up her hair.

"If only we knew who she was." Alphys finished for him.

"And where she came from." Mettaton pondered. "And why she was even out here and in such a terrible condition..."

"I-it's not like she'll be able to go to whatever destination she was headed to anyway." Alphys said. "Judging from how long she may have been out there and the nature of heat sickness, she's going to have to stay here for a few days."

The scientist then saw what Devia was doing. Alphys stole a perplexed glance at Devia, then at Mettaton. Back to Devia, then to Mettaton again. "W-why is she putting a fork in her hair?"

Mettaton turned to see Devia haphazardly try to center her hair around the utensil at the back of her head. Her hands were struggling to keep the fork in place at the same time as her unruly mane. He had become just as confused as Alphys at the sight and wondered how the young woman could possibly think a fork was a good hair accessory. It didn't even match what she was wearing.

"Bṛǣlmès!" Devia grumbled. She refused to give up on this challenge until Mettaton stepped in. He took the hand that held the fork and gently took it from her before bringing out a hair pin.

"Me," he said pointing to himself. "help." He pointed to the hairpin and then her hair. Devia lowered her hands and let out a defeated sigh. She wasn't sure how the robot and his odd object would help to tame her hair when she couldn't do so herself. But it wasn't like she had any other choice in the matter now. She closed her eyes as the robot proceeded to tend to her hair.

Her hair had a soft, cotton like feel to it. Which was odd considering the misleading style of her hair and how those small spikes popped out of the thick ensemble. The way his fingers went through her hair sent a small chill as it made slight contact with the back of her neck. She felt a strange, new object come into contact with her hair. Whatever it was, the bristles were going through her hair in up and down motion. Her body began to relax at the rhythm of the brushing. For some reason, the feeling of her hair being styled in such a way brought her comfort. The robot was swift yet gentle with his technique. Devia was now in her own little world. She would have never gotten a treatment like this back home. Before she knew it, he touched her shoulder to stir her back to reality. She blinked and glanced at him. Mettaton held up a mirror for her to see the final result.

Devia's eyes widened slightly and she touched her hair with the tips of her fingers. Her hair was now brushed back as to get any remaining hair away from her face. The other hand was touching the edges of this new foreign object. It was a rather simple change, but it impressed her nonetheless. That mirror was so small, too. How would anyone be able to see what they needed to do? "Chḯḯe.. naňeshiḯsnyekt.."

"Do you," Mettaton said pointing to Devia. "Like," he pointed to his own smile. "Your hairstyle?" he pointed to Devia's hair. She glanced at him and watched him carefully sign. She then looked back at the mirror and gave a slight nod in response.

Devia gently took the mirror from him to try to get a better look at her hair. She put it at different angles so that she could see it as well as possible. She did small facial expressions, ranging from sophisticated to a little silly. Different profile angles were seen in the mirror and it was as if she became glued to it. She gave out a small giggle before seeing Mettaton on the edge of the reflection. She went silent and carefully put the mirror back into his hands.

"Mâßdè ..."

Mettaton couldn't help but smile at her innocence. She was like a young child yet at the same time, she had the refined presence of a fairy tale princess. He looked at Alphys. "How soon can you make a translation of her language?"

"T-translation?! M-Mettaton... I-in order to do that, I'd need her alphabet... I'd need some idea of what some of her words mean to get a better idea a-and... It'd take me weeks, e-even months!" she answered.

"Are you sure there isn't any faster solution?" Mettaton asked.

Devia looked up at Alphys and tilted her head. She still couldn't make out anything without any physical indicators. Her eyes darted back and forth between their dialogue. It sounded awfully technical, whatever they were talking about.

"S-sorry to say, but there isn't." Alphys replied as she set something down. "Language processing isn't exactly the easiest task out there...H-hey, you said she could understand some hand gestures, right?"

"Of course I did. Why do you ask?" Mettaton lifted an eyebrow.

"W-well, maybe we can try to get her to learn our language that way." Alphys proposed. "It's not as reliable as sign language, but it seemed to work when you did it with her before."

"Hmm... it's gonna be a bit tough, but it just might work." Mettaton nodded. "But we're going to need to start her off with something easy."

"Why not start with her name?" Alphys suggested. "I-I mean, if she's going to be staying here, it would help to know what it is."

"True..." Mettaton lifted his chin. He found Devia tinkering with the same old mirror. When his footsteps got closer to her, Devia immediately set the mirror down frame first and pushed it away from her. Her eyes began to dart from side to side.

"Do you," Mettaton pointed to Devia. "Have," He cupped his hands together in order to try to form the word "A name?"

Devia squinted a little as she turned her head. The word meant nothing to her at this point. It was just phonemes randomly put together as far as she was concerned.

"W-what do you..." Alphys followed along with what Mettaton was doing. "Call," Alphys motioned her hand towards and away from her mouth. "Yourself?" She pointed to the girl.

Still nothing from her. Devia still carried the same confused demeanor. Perhaps an example would help her out.

"My name," He pointed to himself. "is Mettaton."

"And my name," Alphys pointed to herself. "is Alphys."

"Ma... Al... Al..Ma...Al..." Devia struggled to copy the pronunciation of their names. The most she could muster was a singular letter from each name.

"Repeat." Mettaton brought her attention to him. He was going to try something else. "Met."

Devia became confused as to what this robot was trying to do, but she complied nonetheless. "M-m-me-met. Met."

"Good. Now, Ta." Mettaton made a circle motion at the sound of 'ta'.

"T-t... Ta." Devia copied as she watched him repeat the same gesture.

"Both," Mettaton put both hands together. "Met-ta."

"Met.. ta. Met..ta.. ta. Met-ta. Metta?"

"Good!" Mettaton smiled. The pronunciation was a little off, but it would do for now. He then proceeded to make the same gesture from before, except this time adding in the final syllable. "Metta-ton."

"Metta.. t-ton. Metta.. ton. Metta. Ton." Devia fumbled around the letters in her mouth until she finally got it down. She pointed in the direction of his chest plate slowly while looking into his eyes. "Mettaton?"

"Excellent!" Mettaton clapped. This made Devia smiled from the praise she was getting, even though she wasn't really doing anything in her eyes. But it was one step closer to finally understanding these monsters.

"H-hey, it's actually working!" Alphys exclaimed.

"Of course it is, darling! You're the genius, after all!" Mettaton gave a share of the praise to the royal scientist.

"H-how about we try my name next?" Alphys suggested. She turned to Devia and started making signs. "My name is... Alphys. Al... phys."

"A-Al.. ph.. ph... ph... phy.." Devia was clearly having more difficulty on this one. "Al.. phy... Alph... y... Alph... ys?"

"There you go." Alphys nodded as she kept encouraging her. "Almost there."

"Alph.. ys.. Alphys... Alphys? Alphys... Alphys!" Devia grinned from ear to ear.

"G-great!" Alphys' eyes twinkled.

"What is," Mettaton pointed to Devia. "Your name?"

Devia tried to get out the first two words. "M-m-m...my... n-n..n-na-ame..."

"My..."

"M-My..."

"Name..." A scribble in the air.

"Na-ame..."

"Is..."

"Is..."

"Mettaton." He positioned his hands toward himself.

"...Devia."

Mettaton paused. It was foreign, but it sounded close to the word 'diva' in their language. Strange, but oddly fitting.

Devia continued to look at him and tried the sentence once again. There was more clarity to this one than the last. "M-my.. na-ame... is... Devia."

Mettaton smiled at her warmly, which made Devia smile back. "Devia... it suits you."

Devia chuckled as she hid her smile with her hand inches away from her mouth. "Chälæ."

"So Alphys, what do you think?" Mettaton turned his head at the same time Devia did.

"It's definitely a start." Alphys readjusted her glasses. "And she seems to be adjusting to it well so far, but she still needs some practice before she can pronounce sentences fluently."

"At least we've managed to get somewhere. In due time, she may even tell us more about how she came here."

"Ẍektovät ħanóshḛl kyᶒstaṿaǐno?" Devia said to them in her own tongue. Judging from the puzzled look on her face and the slightly annoyed inflection of the words, it was like she was reminding them that she was still in their presence.


	8. Chapter 8- I Love Kissy

**Chapter Eight: I Love Kissy**

"I think it's about time you got a little more rest. It is starting to get late, after all." Mettaton once again offered his hand to Devia. Though she wasn't as hesitant as before, she still felt weirded out by this exchange of touch.

Devia was then guided to a small room. The door opened with the press of a button, revealing a bed and an adjacent desk inside. The bed had plain brown sheets with a lime green blanket draped over the edge. The desk had a stationary and writing utensils in a wooden cup directly next to it. There was also a small stool at the wall near the head of the bed. It looked like the room hadn't been occupied by anyone in a long time judging by how it was organized.

"I-it's not much, but you can s-sleep here."

Devia looked to Alphys before looking back to the room. She placed her free hand in the door frame before taking her first step in. Right before studying the bed, she placed her cup onto the unused stool. Devia then began to strip the bed of its sheets, blankets, and pillows. She piled them on each other by the foot of the bed, leaving the mattress naked and more suited to Devia's liking.

"Um, t-that's not how you-"

"Good night, Devia." Mettaton cut in before Alphys could continue any further. Her day was tiring enough as it was. No use in trying to make things more difficult. Besides, he had assumed that she would figure things out on her own in that room. Either that, or she would shift a few things around to make it more like home. Regardless, Devia soon found herself drifting off to sleep and curled up in the center of the bed.

~~~

Devia slowly awakened from her slumber. At first, she thought she was right back in her sleep chamber back at the Hub. Once she was reminded of where she was at, her mind was at a little more ease. She woke up colder than what she was used to. Devia didn't waste too much time dwelling on this and got away from the mattress. Devia slowly tip toed out of the room and checked her left and her right sides before moving forward. Everything was far too quiet for the alien girl's liking. There was no sign of anyone within her line of sight, but there was a slight whirring noise that she could not explain. The ground below her felt colder than she remembered from yesterday, probably from her body being considerably warmer before.

The sudden noise of footsteps caused Devia's heart to race. What was she to do? Was there someone else in the lab? She could try to fight, but that didn't exactly turn out well last time. Another, much closer footstep was enough to startle her once again.

"Ahh!" Devia turned as she jumped and raised her arms in surprise.

"Eep!" A mousy squeak. Little did she know, that sound was coming from none other than the lizard doctor herself.

"O-oh... i-it's only you..." Alphys sighed with relief. The two proceeded to look at each other as they calmed down from that moment of shock. "For a s-second I thought you were a b-burglar."

Devia tilted her head. "Kěhkt?"

"N-nevermind. Did you... sleep well... last night?" Alphys asked slowly as she made a resting gesture with her hands and made a pillow as she tilted her head. She also drew a moon in the air to signify the night time.

Devia lightly nodded. The more she thought about it, there was something that felt out of balance. She turned her head as she scanned the part of the lab she and Alphys were in. Something was largely amiss. It was only the two girls now. Devia tried to remember the name "Met-ta...Metta...?"

"Mettaton? O-Oh, yeah! H-he's... not... here... right now." Alphys awkwardly fumbled her fingers around trying to talk while giving signs. Devia was just barely able to catch on to the basic idea of what she was saying. "But... he'll be... back... soon. Do... you... understand?"

"Oh... naiio..."

"Y-yes... not... here." Alphys replied. She wondered if there was some other way to convey English to her. There were some things that needed to be done today, so she wouldn't be able to be by her side much. Even if she could be around her while at work, she couldn't risk the chance of letting anyone know what was down below. Especially if that individual was someone she had just met not a day earlier. If only there was some way of giving her something to do while also making speech progress. Then, a light bulb went off in the scientist's head.

"S-stay here, okay?" Devia's eyes followed the small lizard woman as she went off to another room. Once she disappeared, she began to hear shuffling noises and items being shifted around. Devia inched closer to the source of the noise, cautiously curious as to what the doctor had come up with. The suspense was eating at Devia's curiosity the longer she was forced to wait. Finally, Alphys brought out what she wanted to show Devia.

"H-here." Alphys set the box down by her desk and started shuffling through it. The cardboard box was labeled ' _Anime'_ with black marker. Multi-colored plastic cases were now visible in both her hands. "Ch-choose one."

Devia grabbed the first one she saw and examined the foreign lettering on one of the boxes. The cover had some sort of hybrid cat human on it in the center, smiling as she was holding a glowing heart in her hands as more hearts surrounded her. Other characters were included above the box cover in a purple splotch at the top. Underneath one set of text read " _Mew Mew Kissy Cutie Movie 2: Pure Hearts of Harmony._ "

"D-do you like that one? It's one of my favorites." Alphys smiled as she saw the case in Devia's hands. "T-though to be honest, t-the English dub k-kinda sucks and it doesn't e-exactly follow the show's canon. So I guess it would be m-more of a guilty p-pleasure."

"D-dub?" Devia tilted her head.

"Y-yes, a dub." Alphys replied. "Hopefully it can help better your comprehension skills. Did you want to try it?"

Devia's thumb drug across the plastic covering the box art. No matter how she tried, she just couldn't seem to look away from those eyes the main character had. The design of them was off putting, but she was compelled to keep looking at everything else too. Letting her curiosity guide her, she nodded and gave the box to Alphys.

"G-great!" Alphys' eyes started to sparkle. "I'll j-just put t-this in f-for you so you can w-watch it on the T-TV over t-there."

"Tee-vee?" Devia repeated the sound.

"Y-yes, that b-big black screen o-over there." Alphys pointed. She led the alien towards the couch, and she had to stop Devia from almost getting any fingerprints on the monitor that guarded the television screen. Alphys pressed one of the buttons on the plastic device and the screen cut to some text. "C-Call for me i-if you need anything, okay?"

Devia nodded absentmindedly. In almost no time at all, it was just Devia and the television screen. Though she didn't understand what was going on or what any of the characters were saying initially, she was able to get the general idea for the story and pick up on a few words and phrases. All the bright colors, creatures and sounds that were shown and were audible kept Devia glued to her seat. She was now like a five year old watching Saturday morning cartoons. The main character spoke in exaggerated cutesy tones nearly regardless of the situation she was in. Quite frankly, Devia found her presence annoying. She got a few chuckles out of the times things didn't go her way. The other characters weren't as flashy, with Devia's favorite being the elusive ninja Sachiko. Sachiko was the oldest of the group, wielding what was called a 'katana'. Devia wondered if there were any of these katanas in their world.

The character designs were so strange, though. Light skinned, large eyes, detailed hair and outfits added with peculiar limb design. The way they moved was very similar to how her kind and those two strangers did. Only this time, their movements were more acrobatic as to display their fighting skills. Watching the characters move and cast their spells started to make Devia wish that she was a stronger fighter. Even the main villains were strong, the Heart Breakers, though they had horrible intentions. They wanted to destroy all the pure hearts in order to create chaos throughout the entire planet. But strangely enough, it's those pure hearts that are used to defeat them in the end. Nonsensical, but Devia was able to see past this.

What Devia never could understand something. If the pure hearts truly were as powerful as everyone made them out to be and the Heart Breakers wanted to create a weapon more powerful than those hearts, then why even bother trying to find and destroy them in the first place? It all seemed rather counter intuitive to their overall goals. And for that matter, if the Crystal Heart was the purest heart of them all, then why couldn't the heroes have just used that in order to counter the spells of the Black Heart?

When Alphys returned, she found Devia still watching the television, even though it was back at the main menu. It was as if she was trying to decipher something. "A-are you done?"

Devia turned her head and nodded repeatedly.

"D-did you want... some m-more?" Alphys asked carefully.

"Y-yes... yes! I-I mean, yes. What... else... do you... have?" Devia wasted no time in responding. This surprised Alphys, not only with the vocabulary, but how she was beginning to show interest in anime as well. From this moment, Alphys could tell that this would be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

~~~

Later that day, the door opened to as Mettaton charged in. Once he was inside, he changed from his box form to his EX form, all while ranting and raving about a certain employee.

"Ugh, you couldn't believe the attitude that Burgerpants tried giving me this morning! Honestly, I sometimes don't even know why I even bothered hiring him in the first place! That lazy cat just can't seem to get the picture and- ...What is she doing?" Mettaton walked over and leaned towards her. He was never as into anime as her, and being forced to watch a few certainly didn't help to change his opinion on the matter. To see Devia laying on her stomach watching the stuff just further confused the robot.

"I-I thought it would be an e-easy way for h-her to learn our l-language. Th-that and it would keep her b-busy for a while."

"Alphys, you can't be serious." Mettaton said in a half frustrated, half skeptical tone. "If she wasn't able to understand what we were saying before, what makes you think she'll understand the ramblings of a bunch of high pitched schoolgirls?"

As if given some sort of signal, Devia walked by Mettaton and directed her attention to the doctor. She carried a DVD set in one of her hands. "I am done with this one, Al-phys."

Mettaton stood frozen. He pointed to the disk set to Devia and back and forth again. She was speaking English, and sounded decent at it and in such a short time as well? Though her voice was stilted in some parts, it still baffled him. How in the world was this possible?

"Devia!" The Norgav, who had just now noticed his presence, turned to him. "H-how did you-?"

"Oh...I learn." Devia smiled and paused to point to the short lizard woman and the box. "From her. And this."

Alphys gave Mettaton a mischievous smirk, proving her hypothesis correct and leaving him in disbelief. Needless to say, she felt proud of herself and wanted to shove her success in his face. It looked like anime was truly the answer to this situation after all. She could visibly see Mettaton's hopes and dreams fall down the tubes.

"Ramblings of a bunch of high pitched schoolgirls, huh?" Alphys placed her chin on the palm of her hand.

"...Shut it."


	9. Chapter 9- Prying Game

**Chapter Nine: Prying Game**

It had been five days since the mauve girl began her stay at the lab. Whenever she wasn't watching anime with Alphys, Devia was observing her while she did a few of her smaller projects. Her comprehension of their language grew faster as a result, though she was still slow to respond to some things. But while Devia was here, not once has she ever fawned over or was at beck and call of the star that also took residence there. Unlike anyone else in the Underground, Devia was rather quiet towards him. Mettaton had assumed that she was just too shy to approach him herself. For him, that seemed like the most probable answer, given his popularity. She was getting along great with Alphys so far, but she might come around to the robot eventually. However, _eventually_ was not a word in Mettaton's vocabulary. His curious side was beginning to take center stage with the small lady being the co-star. There was a code to Devia, and he was determined to crack it.

Devia sat on the couch with a hairbrush and in a new button shirt and shorts. Her hair was still rather damp from the water she used to clean herself with, so she figured she should try to get as many tangles out as possible. Norgav hair wasn't an easy feat to manage, but it had to be done. It puzzled her how the two could own so many hair products, but then again it was Mettaton who patented them. She picked the products with the least amount of aromas to them, since she learned the hard way that Norgav hair doesn't respond well to strong flavors. After a brief lecture from Alphys about how shampoo and conditioner weren't meant for consumption (heaven knows why she thought it would be a good idea to try it in the first place), Devia had finally learned their proper purpose. Though occasionally when the others weren't around, she would take a small bite of the goop. It had the consistency of paste, but it reminded her of the food she'd eat at home.

"Hello, gorgeous." Mettaton winked.

"Hello, Mettaton." Devia smiled up at him.

"Can I ask you something, darling?" Mettaton asked as he sat next to her.

"Sure. What is it?" Devia put down the brush.

"Do you know me?"

Devia thought that this was a rather strange question to ask, but she answered anyway. "Well, yes, I do. You and Alphys brought me to the Lab."

"No no, not like that." Mettaton shook his head. "I mean, surely you must have heard about me from somewhere before we met, right?"

Devia shook her head. "No."

With that, Mettaton could feel his pride start to shatter. Just how in the world would she not be able to recognize his name? He was one of the most beloved of creatures here, after all. He jumped out from of his seat. "W-what do you mean 'no'? I'm one of the biggest names in the Underground!"

"But... you are a robot, are you not?" Devia responded naively.

Mettaton ignored her comment to ramble some more. "That's not the point right now. Everyone here knows about me in some way or another! How is it that _you_ , out of all monsters that I run into, couldn't even tell who I was by name alone?"

"I-I'm sorry, but we don't have... anything... of that kind." Devia got up as tried to find the right words for what she was saying.

If his suspicions weren't raised before, they certainly were now. Mettaton raised an eyebrow. "'We'? Who is this 'we'? Do you mean to say that you're not the only one who hasn't been graced by my presence?"

"W-well, I.. um... yes."

"That certainly explains a lot." Mettaton muttered rather arrogantly. "I'm assuming you and your family don't go out much, then."

"Um... yes, sure. That's it." Devia went with his assertion.

"Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen anyone like you around here before." Mettaton put his chin in his hand. "Just where exactly are you from, anyway?"

Devia's security vanished in one fell swoop. She moved away from him the more he scanned her. Her mind began to stumble over the words that she should be saying to him. Should she tell him about the Hub? What would her parents and friends say to that, though? Her parents, especially her mother, would be furious at the idea of someone on the outside finding them out. Devia herself had a hard enough time fitting in with her own kind, so that could only mean danger if a stranger were to discover her home. And what would this robot do? As far as Devia was concerned, Alphys was completely harmless. Even if Alphys did try to harm her, it wouldn't amount to much. What if Mettaton ended up having his way there? Or worse, the other Norgavs having their way with him?

"I'm... from..." Devia then started making an up and down waving motion with her hand. She struggled with her inner turmoil to try and get out that one word that was slipping away from her. Where was she at when she first jumped into that body of water?

"Waterfall?"

"Y-yes, Water-fall. That is.. my home." Devia nodded anxiously. She hoped that this would be the end of it, but Mettaton wasn't exactly buying her story.

"Are you sure?" Mettaton asked skeptically as he put a hand on his hip.

"Y-yes! Yes, why.. wouldn't... it be?" Devia got rather defensive.

Mettaton stayed silent for a short while. "You're lying to me, aren't you?"

"What? N-no! Why should I lie?" Devia shrugged nervously and tried to keep her composure.

"Last time I remember, those from Waterfall don't speak in the same language as yours, let alone share the same markings." Mettaton glared slightly. He slowly got closer to her as he almost had Devia's back to the wall. Her heart was now beating faster than ever and she felt caged. The space between the two was almost nonexistent now. Mettaton's voice was now low.

"Now, you're going to tell me where you're _really_ from, and what you _really_ are."

"Devia!" Alphys called her name from upstairs, completely oblivious to what was going on below her. "Could you help me out over here?"

"C-coming!" Devia exclaimed right back. Now was her chance to finally get away from him, and she took it in a millisecond.

That young woman left Mettaton with more questions than ever before. It now became an issue of getting her to tell him the truth. Who knows what else she could be lying about to both of them? What if this was all just a big sham to leech off of his and Alphys' kindness? But more importantly, he was more determined than ever before to show Devia the magnificence of the almighty Mettaton.

~~~

Throughout the rest of the day, Devia tried her hardest to avoid any kind of interaction with Mettaton. When she wasn't stuck to Alphys like glue, her new-found obsession with anime was being enabled. This time, she was watching an anime about furry creatures called 'wolves'. They had very majestic eyes, yet she was afraid of them. Mettaton peeked out of his room and watched her carefully. He knew she was hiding something from him. Perhaps it was much bigger than he originally thought. Whatever it was, he _had_ to get to the bottom of it. He waltzed up behind the couch and leaned over the top of it.

"What are you watching, darling?" The sound of Mettaton's voice made Devia jump a little. She turned to see him and then quickly eyed back to the DVD box. What on earth did he want this time?

"Oh, um.. just.. this. _Cry of The Wolves_." Devia repeated the show's title. She handed Mettaton the box so that he could see what it was about. The box art showed a pack of wolves that looked like they were going to leap out at whoever saw them. Mettaton glanced at the box and then at Devia.

"Hm... Would you mind if I watched this with you? It seems... interesting," he said, hoping she wouldn't realize that he really didn't care for anime at all. Before she could reply however, he came around and sat beside her.

Devia sighed as she tried to keep calm. She knew that he must have wanted something from her, but Devia was determined to keep it under lock and key. She simply tried to focus on the show, as it was now five minutes into the next episode. One of the packs was now plotting out a mutiny against their leader after the horrible acts they committed while associated with him. Mettaton scooted a little closer, resting his arm behind Devia on top of the couch. Devia became uncomfortable by how close he was to her, so she moved slightly away from him, but near him enough as to not offend him.

"Are you enjoying the show?" he asked. _I have to find just the right moment to approach the subject. Hm..._ "Do you have...anything similar to this where you're from? A television even?"

Devia nodded lightly at his first question. But when he asked about the television part, she began to grow suspicious again. Why else would he ask such a question relating to glowing boxes?

"Just... one." She answered vaguely with her pointer finger.

"Just one? What do they usually show?" Mettaton lifted an eyebrow. This was going to be far more difficult than he anticipated. _So much for trying to be subtle.  
_  
"Um, just... the news." Devia turned her head to Mettaton. This was only half true, but she couldn't think of anything else to say. That big screen in the epicenter of the Hub was only used for announcements from the current Norgav leader. It got quite tiring to see his face on there every few minutes.

"Huh... Does a whole lot happen where you're at?"

Devia shook her head slowly and tentatively. Perhaps the shorter the reply, the sooner she could shake him off. She almost missed the part where the alpha wolf attacked another wolf. Devia cringed a little at one of the blows as one of the wolves whined. "No."

"Sounds like it must be awful boring there. If you ask me, you're lucky to have shown up here instead." Mettaton grinned slightly as he inched closer to her, much to Devia's annoyance. Devia tried to keep focused on her show, but the thought of Mettaton trying to ask any more questions was really getting under her skin. Mettaton, on the other hand, tried to come up with more ways to find more about this girl. "Please tell me you at least have _some_ hobbies."

"Hobbies?" Devia tiled her head when she looked up at him.

"You know, stuff you or others like to do for fun. Enjoyment."

"Fun..." Devia let the word slip out. Now that she really thought about it, the concept of the word was unfamiliar. Forbidden, even. If it didn't benefit the bigger picture, there was no chance that anyone would be allowed to get away with it.

"Like, do your family and friends do anything together?" Mettaton tried to make the previous question more specific. Maybe then he would find something.

Devia fell silent at the mention of those two things. She brought her legs closer to her body and looked at the screen with a more frantic look in her eyes. Mettaton analyzed her. There was definitely a clue to be found in her expressions.

"S-sometimes..." Devia replied in a hushed voice.

Something in Mettaton's gut predicted that what she said was a lie. The prospect of Devia not having any real sense of fun at all suddenly didn't sound too far fetched. A little conspiracy began to develop in his mind. He was now starting to get a little impatient. Perhaps now would be the best time to tackle a harder question.

"You really are hopeless, aren't you darling?" Though he probably didn't intend on it, the inquiry ended up sounding condescending.

"What do you mean?" Devia asked.

"Sheltered. Inexperienced. My stars, you sound like you don't even know what a life is."

"I have a life..." Devia grew offended.

"Honestly, are you really this naive? Or is this seriously all a ruse to rob us blind?"

"Mettaton!" Devia exclaimed, an upset tone in her voice. "What are you talking about?!"

"You know exactly well what I'm talking about!" Mettaton's agitation was showing through. "I know you're hiding something, and you're gonna tell me what it is right now!"

Devia scowled and her teeth were bared. Using a section of hair as a third hand, she slapped the robot as her head moved with the swift action. Her hair retreated to her body before Mettaton could process the force of the impact. Mettaton's head was turned to the side, his face now expressionless. Devia's scowl now turned sadly fearful. What was he going to do now? More specifically, what was he going to do to _her_?

"That hair of yours..." Mettaton began speaking again as he stood up. His voice sounded calm. "It really is something else, isn't it?"

Devia instinctively put her hair behind her shoulders. Something wasn't feeling right. "Why does it matter?"

Mettaton looked over at her violet locks. "It definitely looks like it has a few uses. But as long as you're staying here, I can't allow to have any more outbursts like that happen again. What if Alphys were to suddenly get in harm's way?"

Devia shrunk against the couch. "I.. I don't know..."

"Obviously something needs to be done about that." Mettaton started to walk away to the other side of the lab. Devia got on her knees and stared. Mettaton had his back turned to her. She then heard shuffling noises. Her heart was beating in anticipation. What was he doing over there?

He eventually came back with a strange contraption. Two steel sheets brushed against and away from each other. She didn't know what he was trying to do, but Devia didn't want any part of it. The closer he got with it, the further she stepped away.

"Mettaton... what is that?"

"Haven't you ever heard of scissors before, darling?"

"W-what are you going to do...?"

"Oh, just a simple trim. Maybe a haircut if the creative juices allow it." Mettaton said nonchalantly, not seeming to notice or care about Devia's scared nature. "Plus, no offense, you kind of look like you need one."

"M-Mettaton, please! I-I'm sorry! It will not happen again!" Devia brought her hands up.

"Really, now?" Mettaton grabbed Devia's arm. It was now a battle of physical strength. Who would come out the winner? Would the robot actually go through with it? Devia began to panic more and more as the twin blades got closer to her hair.

On sheer impulse, Devia grabbed Mettaton's wrist and turned around to face him. "Really! Now get those things away from me!"

Mettaton fought back after being caught off guard. His voice was lowered and more sinister. "Don't press your luck. I could be doing much worse things to you right now."

"Mettaton!" Devia got angry.

"Just let me cut it!" The two began to fight over the scissors.

"No!"

"Just hold still!"

"I don't want this!"

"Don't be ridiculous!"

"I said NO!"

Devia lost her balance and her grip on Mettaton's hand. It was as if a strong breeze flew in and knocked her over. As she was trying to figure out what just happened, she frantically felt a stinging sensation on her palm and cheek. She gasped at she saw on the palm of her hand. There was now a gray milky substance on it. Devia started to whimper softly. His arm was extended. It was in this moment that Mettaton immediately started to regret his decision. All he wanted to do was dig a little deeper. He didn't want it to go this far. He didn't mean to hurt her in this way. Mettaton tried to hold her in his arms, but to no avail. Devia managed to break away from his grip and gain some distance from him. She looked at him with wet eyes and her fingers digging into her arms.

"Devia..." Mettaton came closer, but Devia shook her head. The more he talked, the more she wanted to get away. She finally broke away from her still anxiousness long enough to find Alphys.

"Devia, wait!" Mettaton started to follow her, but stopped after a few steps. A wave of guilt fell over him as he watched her disappear. He repeatedly asked himself what he had done. Even he didn't know.

~~~

Ever since that day, Devia would either stay put in her room or be around Alphys when she needed assistance. There was no way that she was chancing going near that robot again. The few times they did meet were purposely cut short by Devia, not like they lasted that long anyway. Any and all attempt at a conversation was denied in favor of something else. Devia wanted nothing to do with Mettaton, and Alphys was debating whether or not she should do something about this current situation. Thankfully, she didn't have to do anything on this day.

Mettaton had just come back to the lab after doing some filming over at the studio. The girls watched the robot change from his box form to his EX form. He looked like he was carrying some sort of basket as he came closer. Devia prepared to give the cold shoulder to him once more. But something seemed different about him today. He didn't appear to be as upbeat as usual. Instead, he looked rather somber. Upset, even. Alphys also noticed this and thought it was rather strange.

"I didn't know what size you wore," Mettaton set the basket down on the empty seat next to Devia. "So I just brought whatever I could find."

"Um...Thank you?" Devia confusedly acknowledged his gift and looked to Alphys again. Why did he bring so many strange fabrics to her? She put down the ramen cup and started inspecting what was in the basket.

Mettaton sighed. "I wanted to... apologize for my behavior yesterday. What I did- or, tried to do- was uncalled for."

" _Very_ uncalled for." Devia glared slightly as Alphys nodded in agreement, refusing to look at him directly.

"Yes, yes I know. I shouldn't have tried to pry into you like that. If I had known how important your hair was to you, then I wouldn't have tried to change anything." Mettaton paused. "What I'm trying to say is... I'm..."

"You are... what?" Devia could have sworn she had heard something else.

"I'm... su.." The last part was muted out by his mumbling.

"Huh?" Devia only became more perplexed.

"I'm suh... I'm s-su..." Mettaton tried to force the words out through his half clenched teeth. "I'm sor... I'm.. sorry. I am sorry."

Alphys' jaw practically dropped to the floor. Mettaton was acknowledging he made a mistake? And _apologizing_ for it? This was enough to make her do a double take. Devia was also taken back by this with the now surprised look on her face.

"You... truly are sorry?" Devia wanted to reaffirm this.

"Yes, Devia, I truly am." Mettaton sighed. "I'm sorry for being a jerk to you. I overstepped my boundaries and I should have realized that sooner."

Devia gave him a sympathetic look. Not even she was used to this sort of admittance. Mettaton's sincerity made it that much easier to have his words be taken to heart. Perhaps she may have overreacted. He most likely didn't know any better in that given situation, though he may have had good intentions. Alphys gave Devia a look as if to ask if the two wanted to be alone to talk. Devia nodded, and Alphys silently excused herself. It was just her and the robot now. Though slightly nerve wracking, Devia knew that Alphys would be nearby just in case.

"It's really that important to you, isn't it?" Mettaton sat down the same time Devia did. Her eyes were aimed at the ground and her lower lip met her teeth. She nodded.

"Hair... is vital to our way of life..." Devia tenderly explained. "Where I am from. So yes."

Mettaton remembered back to when Devia first came to the lab. Though it was purely out of self defense, he could tell that the way she used it was part of its use. "So... is your hair also a weapon?"

Devia slowly looked back up at him. "In most cases, yes. Now it is my turn to ask you something."

Mettaton raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"

"Why are you so concerned about where I come from?"

The robot was speechless. The least he could do was be honest to her in this situation, but wholeheartedly admitting he didn't trust her would once again set the wrong mood. For all he knew, she might have had the same amount of distrust, if not more so. Part of Mettaton wanted to see if there was anything below the surface, but when confronted with the question he realized there was another side to it.

"I wanted to know more about you." Mettaton sighed.

There was a brief moment of silence between the two. Neither were sure of how to continue the conversation at this point. Devia was confused at his ways for asking about her. Mettaton thought she had some kind of malicious plan. It was an awkward place for both of them at this point in time. Devia only continued to go between looking at him and looking at her fingers. Mettaton waited for her to finally say something to him. Did he do something wrong again?

"You are forgiven." Devia said quietly.

"Please don't give me the cold shoulder again, darling I-" Mettaton paused. "I am?"

"Yes. But you won't be the next time." Devia nodded and looked into his eyes. Her voice gradually sounded more stern at the end. Devia looked back down at the table, her mind focusing on a different task.

"Thank you." Mettaton felt relieved. But at the same time, the guilt still lingered. There had to be something more he could do in order to make up for it. He wanted to reach for her hand, but hesitated. "But I know words alone can't fix this. Is there anything I can-"

"You have... done enough." Devia shook her head. With those final words, she took her new belongings and placed them into her room.

Mettaton sat down by himself. He ran his fingers through his hair as he thought things over. In retrospect, it was understandable that she hadn't quite gotten comfortable around him yet. What happened those few days ago certainly didn't help matters any. No matter what Devia said, he was determined to find a way to make things right. But how do you reconcile with someone whose culture you know nothing about? That would certainly be something new, but his mind was already dead set. He was going to stop the prying and start trying.


End file.
